The Australian gunman accused of killing 51 people and injuring dozens in shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, has pleaded not guilty to more than 90 charges.
On Friday, 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant appeared in New Zealand’s Christchurch High Court via video to claim innocence of 51 charges of murder, 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge of terrorism for allegedly carrying out the livestreamed March 15 massacre.
Following two assessments of Tarrant’s mental health, Judge Cameron Mander declared no issues were detected that would possibly interfere with the defendant’s ability to stand trial.
Following the attack, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who referred to the massacre as “one of New Zealand’s darkest days,” and French President Emmanuel Macron joined together in the “Christchurch Call,” an effort to combat the use of social media as a tool to promote “terrorism and hate.”
As a result of the Christchurch Call, Facebook announced last month that it would be introducing a “one-strike” rule for livestreamers. Those who violate Facebook Live’s terms will be subject to either a temporary or permanent restriction of access to the feature.