The accused gunman plans to represent himself in court - raising concerns he could attempt to turn a trial into a platform for his beliefs.
The duty lawyer who represented him in court confirmed he was no longer acting for him. He said the accused appeared to be lucid and was not mentally unstable – other than the extreme views that he held.
"I suspect that he won't shy away from publicity, and that will probably be the way he runs the trial. The job of the trial judge will be to deal with that. But it's not a place for any views to be put forward. It's simply there to determine innocence or guilt. The court is not going to be very sympathetic to him if he wants to use the trial to express his own views."
Christchurch mosque shootings: Brenton Tarrant to represent himself in court