CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The man accused of shooting dead 51 Muslim worshippers in the Christchurch mosque attacks in March smiled Friday as his lawyers entered not guilty pleas to multiple murder and terrorism charges. Brenton Tarrant’s barrister told Christchurch High Court his client was pleading “not guilty to all charges,” prompting anger from survivors and relatives of those killed in the March 15 attacks. ADVERTISEMENTThe self-proclaimed white supremacist appeared in court via audio-visual link from a maximum-security prison in Auckland for the brief hearing. Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian national, was committed to stand trial next year on 51 counts of murder, 40 of attempted murder and engaging in a terrorist act. The court heard that mental health assessments had found Tarrant was fit to stand trial.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer June 14, 2019 01:30 UTC