Accused Christchurch mosque terrorist had been a personal trainer

The man accused of the mass murder of worshippers at two Christchurch mosques, Brenton Tarrant, worked as a personal trainer at Big River Gym in the northern NSW city of Grafton after leaving school.

Gym manager Tracey Gray confirmed the man who filmed his murderous attack at the Christchurch mosque and streamed it online was Tarrant.

She said he worked at the gym after he finished school in 2009 until 2011, when he left to go travelling overseas in Asia and in Europe.

Gray told the ABC "he was a very dedicated personal trainer.

"He worked in our program that offered free training to kids in the community, and he was very passionate about that.

"He was very good, very dedicated with his training.

"He would train a lot, and some could say quite excessively, but then he was passionate about health and fitness and making those changes in his personal space."

Gray said Tarrant was in every way a model fitness instructor who went out of his way to help people and put in extra effort.

"I honestly can't believe that somebody I have probably had daily dealings with and had shared conversations and interacted with would be capable of something to this extreme.

Gray said Tarrant did not strike her as someone who had an interest in firearms, adding "I think something must have changed in him during the years he spent travelling overseas."

After leaving Grafton, he is known to have visited Europe, South-East Asia and east Asia.

His travels also took him to North Korea, where he was photographed in a tour group visiting the Samjiyon Grand Monument.

Tarrant described himself as a "regular white man, from a regular family" who was born in Australia to a "working class, low-income family".

Tarrant, a licensed gun owner, used five weapons to kill at least 49 Muslim worshippers, including children at two Christchurch mosques yesterday.

He will appear in Court today.

Image: Brenton Tarrant pictured in Pakistan in 2018.