Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday said Turkey would make a man accused of murdering 50 people in two Christchurch mosques last week pay for his crime if New Zealand does not, Reuters reported.
“You heinously killed 50 of our siblings. You will pay for this. If New Zealand doesn’t make you, we know how to make you pay one way or another,” Erdoğan told an election rally in northern Turkey. He did not elaborate.
Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, a suspected white supremacist, was charged with murder on Saturday after a lone gunman opened fire at the two mosques during Friday prayers.
Erdoğan also called on New Zealand to restore the death penalty so that the Christchurch gunman could face capital punishment.
“If the New Zealand parliament doesn’t make this decision, I will continue to argue this with them constantly. The necessary action needs to be taken,” he said.