SYDNEY: An Australian teen dubbed “Egg Boy” for cracking an egg on the head of a controversial right-wing lawmaker said he has given almost A$100,000 ($70,000) donated for his legal expenses to support victims of the Christchurch mosque shootings.
Will Connolly, 17, came to prominence when he “egged” far-right Senator Fraser Anning at a news conference after Anning had said letting “Muslim fanatics” migrate to New Zealand was the cause of the mosque shootings in March.
Police cautioned Connolly over the incident but he quickly became a cause célèbre, drawing support from all corners of the globe, including the backing of basketball star Ben Simmons. Donations flooded in to fund his legal defense.
However, Connolly said late on Tuesday he would give away A$99,922 that he had received because he was no longer required to face court.
“I decided to donate all monies to help provide some relief to the victims of the massacre ... it wasn’t mine to keep,” Connolly wrote on his Instagram account.
“To the victims of the tragedy, I wholeheartedly hope that this can bring some relief to you.”
A lone gunman armed with semi-automatic weapons targeted Muslims attending Friday prayers on March 15, killing 51 worshippers and wounding dozens. The attack was broadcast live on Facebook.
Australian Brenton Tarrant has been charged with 51 murders and engaging in a terrorist act. He has not been required to submit a plea and is due to appear in court again on June 14.
Australia’s ‘Egg Boy’ donates $70,000 to Christchurch attack victims
Australia’s ‘Egg Boy’ donates $70,000 to Christchurch attack victims
- A lone gunman armed with semi-automatic weapons targeted Muslims attending Friday prayers on March 15, killing 51 worshippers and wounding dozens
Locals in Niger say ‘terrorists’ killed 25 near Mali
- “Twenty-five self-defense militia fell on Thursday in terrorist ambushes,” a former mayor said
- The surrounding Tillaberi region is an area of operations of the Sahel branch of the Daesh militant group
ABIDJAN: Local sources in western Niger said “terrorists” killed 25 members of a militia in several villages near the Mali border.
“Twenty-five self-defense militia fell on Thursday in terrorist ambushes,” a former mayor in the commune of Anzourou told AFP — a toll confirmed by a leader from a local civil association.
“There were 25 young self-defense fighters who lost their lives and three others who were wounded and evacuated” to hospitals in Tillaberi town and Niamey, the latter source said.
The surrounding Tillaberi region is an area of operations of the Sahel branch of the Daesh militant group.
Conflict-monitoring NGO ACLED said that in 2025 Tillaberi became the deadliest region in the central Sahel, with more than 1,200 deaths recorded.
It blamed the violence mainly on the Daesh in the Sahel group, followed by the Nigerien army and the Al-Qaeda-linked Group to Support Islam and Muslims (JNIM).
The association source said the victims came from four neighboring villages — Doukou Makani, Doukou Djinde, Doukou Saraou and Doukou Koirategui.
The Anzourou district is made up of around 50 villages and hamlets in Tillaberi, which borders near the area between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, long the scene of deadly militant attacks.
Niger has been run by a military junta since a coup in July 2023.
For the last decade, the country has been blighted by deadly militant attacks. Since the beginning of the year, there have been nearly 2,000 deaths, according to ACLED.
With the Nigerien army struggling to contain the attacks, it has tolerated the creation of self-defense militias by villagers, leading to bloody clashes with militants.
In December last year, the military regime in Niamey announced a “general mobilization” and the “requisition” of people and property to better fight the Islamists.
Niger has created a 6,000-strong joint force with Mali and Burkina Faso, countries also run by the military and facing militant violence.
