Court photos of the man accused in the Christchurch mosque terror attack have been altered not to show his face due to an order from a New Zealand judge.
Brenton Harrison Tarrant, 28, has been charged with murder in relation to the massacre on Friday, in which 49 people were killed and 42 injured.
Images captured by media outlets during that court appearance are being published blurred or pixellated due to an order from the judge who presided over Tarrant’s hearing, The New Zealand Herald reports.
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Judge Paul Kellar allowed journalists to use cameras and shoot video but said Tarrant’s face must be obscured in order to protect his right to a fair trial.
Kellar has also issued a ban on publishing the name of the man Tarrant is accused of killing. Tarrant did not apply to have the judge suppress his name from the media, Australian broadcaster ABC reports.
Tarrant is expected to face additional charges and two others are in custody.
The massacre has prompted an outpouring of grief and anger around the world. Two mosques were targeted in the attack.
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A video of one of the shootings was live streamed on Facebook by a man identifying himself as Brenton Tarrant. Police have warned the public that sharing the video is an offence and social media companies have said they are trying to scrub it from their platforms.
Police say responsibility for the shootings was claimed in a manifesto that espoused hate against Muslims and immigrants.
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Tarrant was remanded into custody and is expected to appear in court again on April 5.
–With files from the Associated Press and Rebecca Joseph
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