The gunman who carried out the deadly attack on two mosques in New Zealand’s Christchurch will face 50 murder and 39 attempted murder charges when he faces justice on Friday, the New Zealand Police said in a statement on Thursday.
The gunman, who was identified as 28-year-old Australian national Brenton Tarrant and known for his anti-Muslim and anti-migrant views, was earlier detained and has since then been charged with murder and put into custody.
This will be his second hearing, since he first appeared in the Christchurch District Court on March 16, a day after the attack, and faced only one murder charge.
“Police can now confirm the man arrested in relation to the Christchurch terror attacks will face 50 Murder and 39 Attempted Murder charges when he appears in the High Court in Christchurch on Friday 5 April,” the police wrote on Twitter, adding that other charges were under consideration.
In the aftermath of the deadly 15 March 2019 attack on several Christchurch mosques that left 50 people dead the New Zealand government decided to change the country’s gun laws.
Shortly after the tragedy, on 21 March, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern introduced a ban on military-style semi-automatic firearms and assault rifles.
Source: Sputnik
