Prosecutors asked a US judge to commit the suspect in the Tucson shooting rampage that wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords to a federal facility where he can be evaluated by psychologists to determine whether he suffers from a mental defect that makes him incompetent to stand trial.

The suspect in the shooting of Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords pleaded not guilty in court, the 22-year-old’s first response to the charges.

THE man accused of carrying out the mass shooting in Arizona has pleaded not guilty to charges he tried to kill politician Gabrielle Giffords and two of her aides.

The husband of shot politician Gabrielle Giffords said today he believed for about 20 minutes that his wife was dead after seeing a TV news report that said wrongly that his wife had been fatally wounded.

FOR four years Jared Loughner was an unremarkable college student, commuting to classes near his home where he studied yoga and algebra, business management and poetry.

For four years, Jared Loughner was an unremarkable college student, commuting to classes near his home where he studied yoga and algebra, business management and poetry.

PROMINENT Republican Sarah Palin yesterday accused critics of “blood libel” by blaming her rhetoric for contributing to the shooting rampage in Tucson that killed six and wounded 14, including Democratic Representative Gabrielle Giffords.

The 22-year-old man accused of trying to assassinate Representative Gabrielle Giffords in a deadly shooting rampage wrote “Die, bitch” in a note found at his home, a sheriff’s official said.

LAST Saturday’s attempted murder of Gabrielle Giffords, a Democratic Party congresswoman from Arizona, and the shooting dead of six onlookers by deranged gunman Jared Lee Loughner has triggered a fierce debate about the health of American democracy and gun laws. For some in Europe the tragic shootings only confirm their prejudice that America is a violent and uncivilised society.

THE gunman who carried out the Tucson, Arizona, massacre has refused to say anything to police since he was taken into custody.

The suspect in a deadly Arizona shooting is in a federal courtroom facing charges of attempting to assassinate a congresswoman.

The gunman who carried out the Tucson massacre in the US has refused to say anything to police since he was taken into custody.

The man accused of attempting to assassinate US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in a gun rampage that killed six people will appear in an Arizona court today.

AN initial portrait of the man accused of shooting congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and killing six others began to emerge yesterday.

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords remained heavily sedated and in a critical condition today as investigators sought to understand what motivated a gunman to carry out the assassination attempt in a rampage that left six people dead.

A US congresswoman was fighting for her life today after being shot in the head outside an Arizona supermarket as she met constituents.