New Zealand Mosque Gunman to Face 50 Murder Charges, Police Say
The atrocity spurred the government to ban semi-automatics and assault rifles and announce a nationwide buyback of the weapons.
(Bloomberg) -- The gunman accused of carrying out New Zealand’s worst massacre in modern history will face 50 murder charges and 39 attempted-murder charges when he appears in court on Friday, police said.
A 28-year-old Australian wielding modified semi-automatics allegedly opened fire in two Christchurch mosques last month during afternoon prayers and live-streamed the attack to social media.
The terrorist atrocity spurred the government to ban military style semi-automatics and assault rifles and announce a nationwide buyback of the weapons.
The man will appear in the High Court in Christchurch tomorrow, police said in a statement, adding that “other charges are still under consideration.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Edward Johnson in Sydney at ejohnson28@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Edward Johnson at ejohnson28@bloomberg.net, Peter Vercoe
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