Mosque shooter reportedly ‘influenced’ by Stamford’s own Candace Owens

Owens Owens Photo: Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media Buy photo Photo: Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Mosque shooter reportedly ‘influenced’ by Stamford’s own Candace Owens 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Conservative commentator and Stamford native Candace Owens had her name cited by an alleged gunman in deadly shooting attacks Friday at two mosques in New Zealand that left at least 49 dead.

Though he claimed not to covet fame, the man charged with the murders — whose name was not immediately released by police — left behind a 74-page document posted on social media under the name Brenton Tarrant in which he said he hoped to survive the attack to better spread his views in the media.

The rambling manifesto is filled with confusing and seemingly contradictory assertions about his beliefs.

Beyond his white nationalistic ideals, he claimed to be an environmentalist and said he is a fascist who believes China is the nation that most aligns with his political and social values. He said he has contempt for the wealthiest 1 percent.

He singled out Owens as the person who had greatly influenced him.

According to International Business Times, the Australian gunman answered the question: Is there a particular person that radicalized you the most?

LOL! 😂



FACT: I’ve never created any content espousing my views on the 2nd Amendment or Islam.



The Left pretending I inspired a mosque massacre in...New Zealand because I believe black America can do it without government hand outs is the reachiest reach of all reaches!! LOL! https://t.co/4vM1aXleL4 — Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) March 15, 2019

“Yes, the person that has influenced me above all was Candace Owens. Each time she spoke, I was stunned by her insights and her own views helped push me further and further into the belief of violence over meekness. Though I will have to disavow some of her beliefs, the extreme actions she calls for me are too much, even for my tastes.”

HAHA OMG you racist Leftists are taking your racism and crazy to a whole new level hahah.



“Black people don’t have to be Democrats” now means...mosque shootings in New Zealand?



This clearly won’t stick but damn if I won’t grow #BLEXIT highlighting your sheer desperation. 😂😂 https://t.co/4vM1aXleL4 — Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) March 15, 2019

Owens, 29, responded on Twitter.

“LOL! FACT: I’ve never created any content espousing my views on the 2nd Amendment or Islam. The Left pretending I inspired a mosque massacre in ... New Zealand because I believe black America can do it without government handouts is the reachiest reach of all reaches!! LOL!” she wrote in a series of tweets. “HAHA OMG you racist Leftists are taking your racism and crazy to a whole new level hahah. ‘Black people don’t have to be Democrats’ now means ... mosque shootings in New Zealand? This clearly won’t stick but damn if I won’t grow #BLEXIT highlighting your sheer desperation.”

In another tweet Friday, Owens, who regularly appears on Fox News and travels to speak at college campuses, said that if the media portrayed her as the inspiration for the attack, it had better hire lawyers.

Leaving aside whether the alleged terrorist was serious in singling out Owens or simply name-dropping a polarizing cultural figure in order to troll the media, Owens’ response to the situation drew criticism from many corners, including the Connecticut chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations.

“Anybody who’s even intending on laughing at something like this are themselves laughable,” said Executive Director Tark Aouadi.

Owens did issue a more-formal statement to the media: “What happened last night in Christchurch, New Zealand is a tragedy and I echo the sentiment of all Americans, in wishing love and healing for all those impacted. That said, any insinuation that black conservatism in the United States has somehow inspired radical Islamaphobic white supremacy terror overseas is pointedly absurd. People on both sides of the political aisle — especially the victims — deserve a more honest conversation.”

The content of Owens’ tweets tend to be about how black people are not beholden to the Democratic Party, not her views on Islam, as she pointed out in her first tweet after news broke of her name’s inclusion in the terrorist’s manifesto. However, she has occasionally mentioned Muslims, such as in an exchange on Twitter last year.

On Nov. 13, 2018, she wrote: “If France wants to build an army to defend itself against anything, it ought to be the declining birth rate of its people. All signs indicate that it will be a Muslim majority country in just 40 years!”

This prompted an online reply from one reader of: “Candy / racism much?” to which Owens responded: “Muslim is not a race. Stupid much?”

Earlier this month, Owens drew sharp criticism for proclaiming, “America is not a racist country,” during a conservative convention after once winning a Connecticut lawsuit as a victim of racism.

Owens’ family received a $37,500 settlement from the Stamford Board of Education after she accused a group of teens of leaving her threatening and racist messages while she was a high school student in 2007.

Includes reporting from staff writer Barry Lytton and the Associated Press.