Christchurch mosque attacker charged with terrorism

New Zealand police have said that the man accused of killing 51 people in the Christchurch mosques attack in March has been charged with terrorism.

Australian Brenton Tarrant has been charged with ‘engaging in a terrorist act’, having already faced charges of murder and 40 of attempted murder following the attack on two mosques in Christchurch on 15 March.

The move marks the first time a person has been charged in New Zealand with an act of terror under this law. Police in New Zealand said they consulted with legal experts and prosecutors before deciding to lay the additional charge.

Since the attack New Zealand's MPs voted to ban military-style semi-automatic weapons to prevent any such thing happening again and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is leading an international effort to get governments and tech companies to improve their efforts to tackle extremist content online, under the banner of the Christchurch Call.