CHRISTCHURCH: 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.
The 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant 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 were killed and dozens wounded as they attended Friday prayers 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 1000 local time on Friday.
Police said on Thursday that other charges are still under consideration.
