Christchurch mosque shootings: Accused gunman donated $3650 to far-right French group Generation Identity

The man accused of the Christchurch mosque shootings sent money to a French far-right group and once bought a ticket to Bavaria's "fairytale castle," German police say.

The Federal Criminal Police Office confirmed that it briefed German lawmakers Wednesday on its investigation into ties the alleged Christchurch mosque attacker had to Germany.

The closed-door briefing included information German police had about money that the suspect transferred to the Generation Identity group in France. The far-right group which espouses a white nationalist ideology has spread to other European countries since its founding in 2012.

German federal police declined to elaborate, but a local news agency dpa reported that
the accused gunman transferred 2200 euros ($3650) in September 2017.

Austrian authorities have already said the suspect donated 1500 euros to Generation Identity's sister organisation, the Identitarian Movement of Austria.

The group's head, Martin Sellner, has confirmed he exchanged emails with the man but denies involvement in the attack.

The accused gunman faces 50 murder charges and 39 attempted murder charges. He appeared in the High Court at Christchurch this morning.

Around 50 family members of the mosque attack victims filed into the courtroom to watch the proceedings.

There were also more than two dozen reporters from New Zealand and around the world, along with eight police officers and several security staff.

German police said the accused shooter used his credit card last November to pay for a ticket to Neuschwanstein Castle — a popular tourist destination near the Austrian border commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria in the 19th century.

At the time, the now 28-year-old was traveling around Europe with stops including Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Estonia.

The accused in 2014 also made a payment to a German living in the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, police said. It was unclear what the purpose of the payment was. Federal police said their investigation is ongoing.

- AP with NZ Herald