He Told Us - A Step-by-Step Account of an Online Path to Violence - Chris Wilson, Michal Dziwulski

Aug 7, 2026

Upload by Ivy

He Told Us delivers an unflinching, necessary account of the 15 March attack by tracing the period before, during, and after, refusing to separate events from enabling conditions. The book examines what could have been known sooner, using a detailed, step-by-step reconstruction of the terrorist’s online planning and propaganda in the months and years leading to the attack. It also evaluates opportunities for detection and shows how extremist narratives spread, urging governments to learn actionable lessons.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages335

Reading Time14 h 4 min

AccessFree to download

Authors’ note

Prelude to the attack

Tariq

Grafton, NSW

Abdelfattah

White nationalism: A history of fear

White violence

Attǭ

Never trust ǭ terrorist: His online life

How we found the terrorist online

A path to violence

Australian white nationalism

Linwood Mosque

New Zealand, 2017 to 2019

Temel

Atrocity

Aftermath

Terrorism in the age of the smartphone

Sentencing and victim statements

Royal Commission of Inquiry

Re-evaluating the evidence

‘No plausible way he could have been detected’

Propagand ǭ

Copycats and contagion

A grandiose and fragile man

Explanations

The shu hadǭ: Those who lost their lives

Picture Section

Glossary and abbreviations

Notes

‘As someone who lost my father Abdelfattah on 15 March, I read this with a particular weight. It is not an easy book to sit with, nor should it be. This is a necessary and unflinching account that traces the before, during and after. It refuses to separate what happened from the conditions that made it possible. It asks us to confront not only the events themselves, but also what might have been seen, named or acted on sooner. I hope a book like this never has to be written in Aotearoa again—for anyone.’ —Sara Qasem ‘He Told Us is hard but essential reading if we are to learn the lessons of 15 March, not by looking at what was known but at what could have been known ahead of that fateful day. Chris Wilson and Michal Dziwulski have uncovered something that official agencies couldn’t and that is a step-by-step account of the terrorist’s online planning in the months and years before his attack. Their book is a chilling reminder that this form of terrorism is neither spontaneous nor impulsive. We learn how aman craving status in a dark online world planned and executed such a cowardly and cruel attack, and how he created propaganda to incite others to do the same. The online world of the dark web is fraught, seeking to conceal the depths of man’s inhumanity to man, but He Told Us demands that the government of New Zealand (and indeed Australia) take a closer look at the lessons we can and must learn from this atrocity.’ —Lianne Dalziel, former Mayor of Christchurch [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) About the authors Chris Wilson is Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Auckland / Waipapa Taumata Rau. He researches and teaches the causes and dynamics of violent conflict, terrorism, genocide and other forms of political violence. He has published two books and many articles in academic journals, and regularly provides commentary on terrorism and other topics in New Zealand and international media. Michal Dziwulski is a community safety and wellbeing adviser in local government. He has justice sector experience through his previous work atthe Department of Corrections, where he managed and advised on many high-risk cases. He is a researcher and is completing a Master of Conflict and Terrorism Studies at the University of Auckland / Waipapa Taumata Rau. [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Contents Authors’ note Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Prelude to the attack 2. Tariq 3. Grafton, NSW 4. Abdelfattah 5. White nationalism: A history of fear 6. White violence 7. Attǭ 8. Never trust ǭ terrorist: His online life 9. How we found the terrorist online 10. A path to violence 11. Australian white nationalism 12. Linwood Mosque 13. New Zealand, 2017 to 2019 14. Temel 15. Atrocity 16. Aftermath 17. Terrorism in the age of the smartphone 18. Sentencing and victim statements 19. Royal Commission of Inquiry 20. Re-evaluating the evidence 21. ‘No plausible way he could have been detected’ 22. Propagand ǭ 23. Copycats and contagion 24. A grandiose and fragile man 25. Explanations The shu hadǭ: Those who lost their lives Picture Section Glossary and abbreviations Notes [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Authors’ note In this book we tell the stories of many of the people who lost their lives in the 15 March attack, and some of those who were left with unimaginable loss. We recount the bravery they showed on that day, and the remarkable things they contributed to Christchurch and to New Zealand before the attack. Yet the book also focuses on the terrorist who carried out that atrocity, and examines in detail his path to violence, his motives and goals, and how he acted in the months and years leading up to his attack. The decision to take this focus was a difficult one, and some will criticise us for it. We decided that the alternative—continuing to ignore the terrorist, the real reasons

FAQs

What approach does He Told Us use to explain the 15 March attack?

It traces the before, during, and after periods while refusing to separate the events from the conditions that made them possible. It also highlights what could have been seen, named, or acted on sooner.

How does the book describe the terrorist’s online behavior?

It provides a step-by-step account of the attacker’s online planning and propaganda in the months and years leading up to the attack. It emphasizes that this terrorism was neither spontaneous nor impulsive.

Why do the authors say this book focuses on the terrorist?

They argue that continuing to ignore the terrorist, the real reasons behind the attack, and how he avoided detection is more costly and more dangerous. A fuller account also undermines how he portrayed himself.

Aug 7, 2026

Upload by Ivy