Christchurch shootings: Brenton Tarrant appears in court
The main suspect in the killings of
49 people in shootings at two mosques in New Zealand on Friday has
appeared in court on a single murder charge.
Australian Brenton
Tarrant, 28, was brought to the dock in a white prison shirt and
handcuffs. Further charges are expected to be made against him.
PM Jacinda Ardern said Mr Tarrant had a firearms licence and owned five guns, adding: “Our gun laws will change.”
Two others are in custody. None of those detained had a criminal record.
Mr Tarrant was described by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison as an “extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist”.
The
suspect, who stood silently during the brief hearing in Christchurch,
was remanded in custody without a plea and is due to appear in court
again on 5 April.
The court judge ruled that the suspect’s face should be pixellated in photographs and filming to preserve his fair trial rights.
Ms Ardern called the attack “an act of terror”, and officials are still carrying out the identification of the victims.
‘He wanted to continue’
Ms
Ardern said the guns used by the attacker appeared to have been
modified, and that the suspect’s car was full of weapons, suggesting
“his intention to continue with his attack”.
Speaking at a news conference on Saturday, she said the suspect had obtained a gun licence in November 2017 that allowed him to buy the weapons used in the attack.
“The mere fact… that this individual had acquired a gun licence and
acquired weapons of that range, then obviously I think people will be
seeking change, and I’m committing to that.”
New Zealand’s
Attorney-General David Parker said the government would look into
banning semi-automatic weapons, but that no final decision had been
made. Previous attempts to tighten gun laws in a country with a strong
gun lobby and culture of hunting have failed.
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