Hero cops who rammed Christchurch terror suspect’s car off the road and arrested him are finally named after suppression order is lifted
- The names of the police officers who arrested Brenton Tarrant has been revealed
- Snr Constable Jim Manning and Snr Constable Scott Carmody took Tarrant down
- They rammed his car after he shot up Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Centre
- Their names were hidden until a court suppression order was lifted on Tuesday
Two police officers who rammed a terror suspect’s car off the road during the Christchurch mosque massacre have been praised as national heroes.
Senior Constable Jim Manning and Senior Constable Scott Carmody arrested Brenton Tarrant after he allegedly killed 51 Muslim worshippers on March 15.
The Canterbury police officers rammed Tarrant’s car off the road and arrested him after he allegedly shot up the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre and made his way to a third target.
The identities of the two hero police officers were hidden until a suppression order preventing media from naming them was lifted by courts on Tuesday.
Senior Constable Jim Manning (second from left) and Senior Constable Scott Carmody (second from right) took down alleged terrorist Brenton Tarrant
The hero police officers rammed Brenton Tarrant’s (pictured) car off the road and arrested him after he allegedly shot up the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch
Constable Manning has been a police officer for more than 30 years, while Constable Carmody joined the force in 1993, Stuff reported.
Both officers were traumatised after they arrested Tarrant, who allegedly had bombs in his car.
Constable Manning and Constable Carmody won’t be giving interviews until the trial has concluded.
‘This was an extraordinary event and we want to acknowledge the victims of this tragedy,’ the pair said in a media release on Tuesday.
‘From our perspective, we were doing our job and I know our colleagues would have done the same thing in that situation. Our actions are reflective of who we are as police officers and as Kiwis.’
Constable Carmody (pictured with Prince William) was given the Police Commissioner’s Gold Merit Award for an act involving a potentially life-threatening risk
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern praised the men, and said the arrest was an incredible act of bravery.
Arden awarded the pair the 2019 New Zealand Police Association Bravery Award in a private ceremony in Wellington.
Constable Manning and Constable Carmody were also given the Police Commissioner’s Gold Merit Award for their act involving a potentially life-threatening risk.
Meanwhile, Tarrant wasn’t present during a hearing at the High Court in Christchurch on Tuesday.
The identities of Jim Manning (pictured with Prince William) and Scott Carmody were hidden until the name suppression order preventing media from naming them was lifted by courts on Tuesday
The hearing comes ahead of the 28-year-old’s trial, which is set to begin on June 2 next year.
Tarrant has pleaded guilty to 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one terrorism offence for his alleged role in the March 15 mosque shootings.
The charges stem from attacks on two Christchurch mosques, at al-Noor and Linwood, during Friday prayers on March 15.
The entire massacre was also live streamed on social media through a body camera on Tarrant.
The terror charge against him will be the first prosecution of its kind in New Zealand and some legal experts say it could potentially lead to a complex trial.