Mental tests on mosque suspect

THE man accused of the Christchurch mosque shootings sat impassively in court yesterday as a judge ordered him to undergo mental health tests.

Survivors and relatives of those killed in the attacks packed into a courtroom as alleged gunman Brenton Tarrant appeared via video link from a maximum-security prison in Auckland.

The 28-year-old Australian faces 50 murder charges and 39 of attempted murder over the shootings at two mosques on March 15.

High Court judge Cameron Mander ruled during the brief hearing that Tarrant would be examined by two health assessors to determine ‘whether he is fit to stand trial or insane’. The suspect – a self-avowed white supremacist – sat motionless throughout.

Health authorities this week said 24 people remained in hospital after the attacks, four of them critical, including a four-year-old girl.