Australian Brenton Tarrant, who carried out the Christchurch Mosque attacks, has been charged with terrorism in a first use of such laws in New Zealand.
The 28-year-old who attacked two Mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch on March 15th killing 51 people was already charged with murder and attempted murder but has this week also been charged under anti-terror laws in New Zealand.
New Zealand first adopted anti-terror laws in 2002 in months following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001.
Immediately prior to the attacks on two Mosques in Christchurch, Tarrant, published a manifesto online detailing his ideology and the reason for his actions.
In the aftermath of the attack New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern moved quickly to pass strict new laws in relation to gun ownership in her country and along with tech giants tried to censor the terrorist’s manifesto and the video of the terror attack which was initially live streamed on Facebook.
Tarrant has now been charged with 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and terrorism.
In April a judge ordered that Tarrant undergo a psychological assessment to determine if he was fit to stand trial and his next court hearing has been scheduled for June 14th when the mental health findings will determine whether he is required to enter a plea at that point.
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