Dozens of Victorians with alt-Right views monitored by police, Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton says

Dozens of Victorians with known alt-Right extremist views are under surveillance by counter-terrorism police, with growing fears of violence and the threat they could pose to the public in the wake of the New Zealand terror attack.

Counter-terrorism police are monitoring dozens of Victorians with extreme Right-wing views amid fears that they pose a growing risk to the public.

Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said today that police had stepped up monitoring of known extremists following Friday’s massacre in ­Christchurch, New Zealand, which left 50 people dead.

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More details of the life of the accused mass killer, Brenton Tarrant, are emerging, along with pictures of his Dunedin home and the shooting range where he practised.

His grandmother, Joyce Tarrant, said he was a loner who had never been the same since finding his father dead from suicide in 2010. She said: “I begged them to take him to get counselling but he never went.”

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton. Picture: AAP Image/Ellen Smith

His mother and sister are reportedly under police protection and are unable to be contacted.

Mr Ashton promised that Victoria Police would keep a close eye on people in the state who held beliefs similar to those of Tarrant.

He said: “We have a range of people within Victoria that we monitor in relation to politically motivated extremism and potential for violence.

“Certainly after Friday night, we have intensified monitoring of the alt-Right within Victoria. (But) we have no current threat active in relation to any response from Friday that we are working on.”

British security service MI5 is believed to be probing Tarrant’s links to United Kingdom Right-wing extremists.

Last December, the Herald Sun revealed that Victoria’s top anti-terrorism cop — Assistant Commissioner Ross Guenther — was concerned by the rise in politically motivated violence, warning Right-wing extremists were increasingly active.

New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush. Picture: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Defending the New Zealand police response to the atrocity, Commissioner Mike Bush said last night that officers were on the scene at 1.47pm on Friday — six minutes after the first emergency call — and Tarrant was in custody within 36 minutes.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reiterated that New Zealand’s gun laws needed to change and “they will change”.

Her Cabinet will meet on Monday to discuss the issue.

The Prime Minister’s office also confirmed that it received a copy of Tarrant’s “manifesto” less than 10 minutes before the attacks began. It was also sent to other organisations, including media.

So far, 50 people have been confirmed dead in the attack. Another 39 people are in hospital, 11 in intensive care.

Al Noor elder Haji Daoud Nabi, 71, a refugee from ­Afghanistan, was one of the 50.

His son, Omar, told the New Zealand Herald: “It’s outrageous to me. Kids and grown-ups shot in the back while praying. It is a cowardly act.”

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said gun laws need to change in the wake of the attacks. Picture: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

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Another victim was cardiologist Amjad Hamid, 57, who worked at Hawera Hospital in South Taranaki.

The Taranaki District Health Board said he would be greatly missed.

“He was well liked for his kindness, compassion and sense of humour. He was a hardworking doctor, deeply committed to caring for his ­patients, and a thoughtful team member who was supportive of all staff,” the board said.

Police in Christchurch and other specialists, including some flown in from Australia, are still working to identify victims of Friday’s bloodbath.

Islamic faith dictates that the dead be buried as soon as possible. Police say they are working with the Chief Coroner to “do everything possible to expedite the process”.

But Ms Ardern said the process might not be complete until Wednesday.

Police are reviewing video footage and taking witness statements over the egging of controversial Senator Senator Fraser Anning that landed a Melbourne teen in a headlock.

Police Minister Lisa Neville today confirmed that officers were probing Saturday’s incident and that all those involved, including the man who put teenager Will Connolly in a headlock, were under investigation.

“Victoria Police are looking at all the footage and taking witness statements about everyone who was involved in that incident,” she said.

“They were not in the media room at the time because had the Senator had AFP (Australian Federal Police) as their personal protection.

“They (Victoria Police) weren’t there and did not witness it. They did however go to rescue of the young boy to remove him from the headlock that he was in.”

Asked whether police were specifically looking at the man who pounced with a headlock, Ms Neville said: “they are looking every person who participated in that act on Saturday ... from the Senator right through”.