Suspected white supremacist charged with murder after New Zealand mosque shootings
The main suspect in the mosque shootings that killed 49 people in New Zealand on Friday has appeared in court on a single murder charge.
Australian Brenton Tarrant, remanded in custody without plea and is due appear in court again on 5 April.
Tarrant, handcuffed and wearing a white prison suit, stood silently in the Christchurch District Court where he was remanded without a plea. He is due back in court on April 5 and police said he was likely to face further charges.
Friday’s attack, which Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern labelled as terrorism, was the worst ever peacetime mass killing in New Zealand and the country had raised its security threat level to the highest.
Tarrant has been described as a suspected white supremacist, based on his social media activity.
Footage of the attack on one of the mosques was broadcast live on Facebook, and a “manifesto” denouncing immigrants as “invaders” was also posted online via links to related social media accounts.
Published: by Radio NewsHub