28-year-old Australian man, Brenton Tarrant, has appeared in court in Christchurch charged with murder following the attack on two mosques yesterday in which 49 people have died. New Zealand police say more charges are likely to be laid. No application for bail was made and he is due to appear in court again on 5 April.
The city has united in grief, with floral tributes being laid at mosques across the country, including at the botanic gardens close to the sites of both attacks.
Religious leaders and charitable organisations have flocked to the area to offer support.
Prime minister Jacinda Ardern has said the nation’s gun laws will change after it emerged the suspect had a firearms licence. She said he began legally stockpiling weapons in 2017 and had two semi-automatic weapons and two shotguns.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed the suspect charged with murder was an Australian citizen and described him as "an extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist". quoted Al Jazeera.
Tarrant published a racist manifesto on Twitter before the shooting, then livestreamed his attack on Facebook.
