Inside Brenton Tarrants Dunedin lair where he planned his massacre

The Dunedin home where accused terrorist Brenton Tarrant allegedly planned his massacre and wrote his sickening manifesto is a modest rental house with sparse furnishings. 

Police descended on the Anderson’s Bay property, located four-and-half hours south of Christchurch, hours after the shooting Friday night, as nearby residents were evacuated.

Tarrant, 28, had rented the $280 per week house for the last two years, and must have been planning to move out as the place was currently being advertised. 

A couple who live in the apartment adjacent to Tarrant’s home told Daily Mail Australia he was a ‘loner’ who never had visitors, but his rampage came as a complete shock to them.

The pair were barred from entering their home until Saturday evening, after authorities had conducted a thorough search of the 28-year-old gunman’s home. 

A neighbour said Tarrant never had anyone over his one-bedroom apartment, and had never drawn attention to himself.

Photos obtained by Daily Mail Australia show the interior of the nondescript home which cost $280 per week, according to a listing. 

The neighbour said she and and her partner had a few friendly interactions with the Australian man, but did not know much about him.

‘We’ve got family up in Christchurch, so we were calling them (to see if they were okay) and then suddenly they’re calling us to say our house was on the news,’ she said.

Another neighbour said he had also never seen anyone coming or going from Tarrant’s home, but said the self-confessed terrorist had always given him a smile and a wave in passing.

The horrific event has left residents of Somerville Street in shock, with one remarking it had helped him meet a lot of his neighbours. 

Police remained at the house well into Saturday morning, with one officer telling Daily Mail Australia authorities were guarding the home 24 hours a day to keep the scene secure. 

Overnight, officers were seen standing out the front, armed with large guns, while on Saturday morning they could be seen inside the weatherboard home. 

Tarrant, an Australian national who moved to New Zealand years ago, admitted his plans for his attack in a chilling 73-page manifesto in which he revealed he had been inspired by previous mass murderers. 

Tarrant is suspected of killing at least 50 Muslim worshipers during Friday prayer at Masjid Al Noor mosque in Christchurch and livestreaming the massacre online. 

The man said he initially planned to carry out the attack at the Al Huda mosque in Dunedin, the only mosque in the city, but later targeted the two mosques in Christchurch because they had ‘far more invaders.’ 

Fifteen victims have been identified by their family members while a further 60 people remain on the official missing persons list. 

Among those confirmed dead are Palestinian surgeon Dr Amjad Hamid, 57, who had moved to New Zealand with his wife for a better life, and Kuwait futsal goalkeeper Atta Elayyan, 33, who had recently become a father.  

Three-year-old Mucad Ibrahim was also named among the dead after he passed away in the arms of his father and older brother Abdi Ibrahim, who only survived because he played dead.  

Haji Daoud Nabi, 71, Naeem Rashid and his 21-year-old son Talha are among those now named. 

Bangladeshi Husna Parvin, is among those feared dead after she was reportedly gunned down as she tried to save her wheelchair-bound quadriplegic husband from the shooter. 

Abdul Hamid, Khaled Haj Musatafa and Ashraf Ali also among those thought to be dead.

On Sunday, a rainbow of bright flowers, teddy bears, balloons and signs line the fence of the Al Huda mosque. 

On the footpath, colourful chalk spell out messages of support, with some quoting bible verses, others writing ‘you are not alone’ and one person memorialising the man who had opened the door at the Al Noor mosque on Friday afternoon. 

Locals said the flowers had begun flowing in about 9am on Saturday morning, and most of the tributes stuck to the fence had appeared overnight.    

 ‘Hello brother’, they wrote above a love heart. ‘we stand together’. 

Another wrote a letter apologising for the atrocities that had taken place. ‘I am so sorry to let you down,’ it read. 

‘This is your country. We will do better for you. Kia Kaha (stay strong)’

On the fence was an all blacks flag, a new Zealand flag and a string of others, including Australia’s. 

‘It’s a shock to everyone. This isn’t what we are all about,’ a policeman who arrived at the mosque on Sunday morning said.

Armed police are guarding tarrants house in Anderson bay 24 hours a day, not wanting to take any chances.

About 1am, two officers were seen standing in the garden outside the darkened home, both holding large guns.