New Zealand mosque shooting suspect faces 50 murder charges
New Zealand police said Thursday that the man
accused of carrying out the Christchurch mosque attacks will face 50 murder
charges and 39 attempted murder charges when he makes his second court
appearance, The USA Today reported.
Police had earlier filed a single, representative
murder charge against 28-year-old Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant. He is
due to appear via video link during a brief hearing on Friday, and won’t be
required to enter a plea.
Fifty people died in the March 15 attacks on two
mosques and another 50 were injured.
Police said in a brief statement that they were
considering filing more charges against the alleged shooter but couldn’t
comment further as the case was before the court.
Tarrant’s first appearance was on the day after the
attacks in the Christchurch District Court.
His case has now been moved to the High Court due to
the seriousness of the charges.
He has reportedly been moved to a high-security
prison in Auckland, which is why he’ll appear via video link.
