Australian terrorist pleaded not guilty on Friday to 92 charges stemming from a massacre in two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch three months ago and will stand trial in May next year.
The terrorist armed with semi-automatic weapons attacked Muslims attending Friday prayers in Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island on March 15, killing 51 people in the country’s worst peace-time mass shooting.
HE HAD BROADCAST THE SHOOTING LIVE FACEBOOK
Brenton Tarrant, 29, a white supremacist, appeared by video link from a maximum security facility in Auckland while his lawyer entered not guilty pleas on his behalf. The accusations against him include one terrorism charge.
About 80 members of Christchurch’s Muslim community and dozens of media representatives attended the hearing in a packed court room, with many seated in another room watching by video.
Tarrant has been remanded in custody until Aug. 15, when the next case review hearing is scheduled.
The court lifted an order last week suppressing the publication of pictures of Tarrant. An interim suppression order barring the publication of the identity of survivors also lapsed and will not be reinstated.