Christchurch, New Zealand - An Australian
man 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.
A lone gunman 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. The attacker broadcast
the shooting live on Facebook.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern introduced tough new firearm
laws banning semi-automatic weapons after the attack, which also
wounded dozens more people.
Brenton Tarrant, 29, a suspected 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.
High Court Justice Cameron Mander said the trial would begin
on May 4. The prosecution expected the trial would take around
six weeks, although Mander said defence lawyers believed it
could take considerably longer.
Courts normally try to bring cases to trial within a year
but Mander said "the scale and complexity of this case makes
this challenging".
Tarrant has been remanded in custody until Aug. 15, when the
next case review hearing is scheduled.
Mander said Tarrant was fit to stand trial after the court
ordered him to undergo a mental health assessment at a previous
hearing on April 5.
"No issue arises regarding the defendant’s fitness to plead,
to instruct counsel, and to stand his trial. A fitness hearing
is not required," Mander said in a minute released to the media
after Friday's hearing.
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.