Man accused of Christchurch shooting appears in court
Brenton Tarrant is accused of murdering 50 worshippers during Friday prayers in the New Zealand city last month.
Friday 5 April 2019 09:14, UK
The man accused of shooting 50 people dead at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch has reappeared in court.
Brenton Tarrant is accused of murdering the worshippers during Friday prayers on 15 March.
After the attack he was charged with one murder and remanded without plea but New Zealand police later said he would face 50 charges of murder and 39 of attempted murder.
The 28-year-old Australian appeared at Christchurch's High Court by video link on Friday morning, local time.
He is being kept at New Zealand's only maximum security prison in Auckland where he is reportedly under 24-hour surveillance and has no access to news reports.
Justice Cameron Mander remanded him in custody until 14 June and ordered he undergo a mental assessment to determine whether he is fit for trial.
According to the New Zealand Herald, the judge stressed that the move was "normal procedure" and an "entirely ordinary and regular step" to be taken at this stage of the judicial process.
Nothing should be read into the ordering of the reports, he added.