Tucson gunman Jared Lee Loughner denies shooting politician
The suspect in the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has pleaded not guilty in court.
Wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and glasses, Jared Lee Loughner, 22, did not speak but grinned. His wrists were cuffed to a chain around his waist as eight US marshals stood guard in the packed courtroom in Phoenix, Arizona.
Investigators have said Loughner was mentally disturbed and increasingly erratic in the weeks before the attack in Tucson on January 8 that killed six and wounded 13.
If his defence successfully pleads mental incompetency, he could be sent to a mental hospital instead of being sentenced to prison or death. But his lawyer, Judy Clarke, said she was not raising issues of competency "at this time".
More charges are expected over the deaths of Miss
Giffords's aide Gabe Zimmerman and judge John Roll.
Miss Giffords, 40, who was shot in the head, has developed a build-up of fluid on her brain which is delaying her move to a rehabilitation centre from intensive care.
