Judicial probe opens into Christchurch mosque shootings

A judicial inquiry into whether New Zealand's police and intelligence services could have prevented the Christchurch mosque attacks in which 51 worshippers died began taking evidence on Monday.

The royal commission -- the most powerful judicial probe available under New Zealand law -- will examine events leading up to the March 15 attack in which a lone gunman opened fire on two mosques in a mass shooting that shocked the world.

"This is a critical part of our ongoing response to the attack -- the commission's findings will help to ensure such an attack never happens here again," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

New Zealand's spy agencies have faced criticism in the wake of the attack for concentrating on the threat from Islamic militants while underestimating the danger posed by right-wing extremism.

The Christchurch victims were all Muslims and the massacre was allegedly carried out by a white supremacist fixated on the belief that there was an Islamist plot to "invade" Western ..