‘Sons of Tarrant’: What San Diego Mosque Shooting Suspects’ Label Means

Two teenagers who attacked a San Diego mosque on Monday allegedly self-identified as “Sons of Tarrant,” a reference to white supremacist Brenton Tarrant, who livestreamed his 2019 mass shootings at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The shooters, Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, killed themselves shortly after opening fire and killing three people at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday, authorities said. According to the FBI, the teens first met online, where they were radicalized and shared white supremacist views.

Suspects Inspired by Brenton Tarrant In “The New Crusade: Sons of Tarrant,” a 75-page manifesto that authorities are investigating over possible links to the two suspects, the writers referred to themselves as “Sons of Tarrant. ” The writings, which include separate statements attributed to Clark and Vazquez, use hateful rhetoric toward Muslims, Jews, the LGBTQ+ community, Black people, women and both the political left and right. Both authors also express beliefs that white people are being eliminated and use symbols associated with Nazis and other white supremacists.

The document described Tarrant, who killed 51 people in his livestreamed mosque attacks in New Zealand, as “both of our biggest inspiration” and the blueprint for livestreaming an attack. Video of Monday’s shooting was livestreamed and shared to a website where people post videos of violence, CBS News reported. Nicole Witherow prays beside flowers placed outside the Islamic Center of San Diego in California on May 19, the day after a shooting.

Clark and Vazquez “didn’t discriminate on who they hated,” Mark Remily, the lead FBI agent in San Diego, said on Tuesday. The section attributed to Vazquez also praised Adolf Hitler, describing him as “the greatest man to ever walk this Earth” and lauding other mass killers. The “Sons of Tarrant” label does not appear to refer to a defined group, but it shows allegiance to a white supremacist ideology.