Christchurch massacre: Indictment for 49 murders, psychiatric evaluation ordered

(Patria) – Australian Brenton Tarrant appeared in court in New Zealand on Friday on charges of mass murder in two mosques last month, agencies report.  

In the armed attack carried out on March 15, which was broadcast live on Facebook, 50 people who were praying in the mosque at the time lost their lives, and dozens more were injured.

Tarrant, who was initially charged with one murder the day after the attack, was also charged on Friday with 39 more premeditated murders with no possibility of appeal until a psychiatric evaluation ordered by the court is completed.

Tarrant is being held in a maximum-security New Zealand prison in Auckland, and appeared in court via video link.

About twenty family members of the victims and several survivors were present in the courtroom.

One of Tarrant's lawyers, Shane Tait, stated that his client's psychiatric evaluation would take several months. Judge Cameron Mander commented that this is a standard procedural step.

Some media reported that Tarrant expressed a desire to defend himself, but legal experts interpreted this as a possibility of abusing the trial to present his ideology and beliefs, and that he would speak less if he had lawyers.