Brenton Tarrant, the white supremacist who killed 51 worshippers at two mosques in New Zealand in 2019, appealed his conviction on Monday. The Australian former gym instructor admitted to the attacks and was sentenced to life without parole in August 2020, New Zealand's toughest sentence ever. Tarrant now argues that harsh, “torturous and inhumane” prison conditions affected his mental state before he pleaded guilty. He said, "I did not have the mind frame or mental health required to be making informed decisions at that time," according to the New Zealand Herald. Tarrant revealed he even considered blaming President Donald Trump for the attacks: "What I said at the time is 'perhaps I could go out and say there was a second shooter on the roof, perhaps I could say it was Donald J Trump'," he told RNZ. The Court of Appeal in Wellington is handling the appeal, with heavy restrictions on who can attend the hearing. Families of victims will watch remotely with a one-hour delay. Aya Al-Umari, whose brother was killed in the Linwood mosque attack, said she was shocked by the appeal, stating, "Little did you know that you are allowed to do this six years later. I was not prepared to do this." The court will likely delay its verdict. After the attack, Facebook removed 1.5 million videos of the livestreamed massacre within 24 hours. Then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tightened gun laws and urged social media companies to fight online extremism. Tarrant's former lawyer said in 2021 that Tarrant pleaded guilty under duress, believing it was his "simplest way out." The names of his current lawyers are not public.