Man arrested over New Zealand mosque massacres to face 50 murder charges
Australian Brenton Tarrant will also be charged with 39 counts of attempted murder when he appears in court on Friday
Wellington — The Australian man arrested over New Zealand’s mosques shooting massacre will face a total of 50 murder charges and 39 attempted murder charges when he appears in court on Friday, police said. Brenton Tarrant, 28, a suspected white supremacist, was charged with one murder the day after the attack on two mosques in Christchurch on March 15 and was remanded without a plea. Fifty people attending Friday prayers were killed and dozens wounded by a lone gunman armed with semi-automatic weapons. The gunman broadcast his attack live on Facebook. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described the massacre, the worst mass shooting by a lone gunman in New Zealand, as a “terrorist attack” and some legal experts thought it could result in charges under New Zealand’s terrorism laws. Tarrant is due to appear in Christchurch’s high court through a video link at 10am local time (9pm GMT) on Friday. A high court judge said in court minutes this week the appearance would largely be procedural a...
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