The 28-year-old man who allegedly shot and killed 50 followers at two Christchurch mosques on Friday was seen standing outside a Hamilton mosque just two weeks earlier.
Waikato Muslim Association President Dr Asad Mohsin said two to three members of the Jamia Masjid Mosque in Claudelands saw a man looking like Brenton Tarrant wearing a cap and reading a newspaper near the fence surrounding the mosque two weeks ago.
Other people of the community also mentioned at a car boot sale at the mosque held on Sunday that they had seen Tarrant in Hamilton at that time. They believed he was staying at a motel only a few doors down from the mosque.
Mohsin said he was unsure exactly what day it was, but the man did not appear to be acting strangely.
"Very normal. I think this guy is very well trained. What we can know is that he would have done a lot of research before taking any action."