THE MAN ACCUSED OF ATTEMPTING to assassinated US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords appeared in court yesterday to face two charges of murder and three of attempted murder.

Jared Lee Loughner, 22, attended a brief court appearance yesterday where the charges were read to the court.

He is being represented by Judy Clarke, the lawyer who defended the Oklahoma city bomber Timothy McVeigh, according to the Guardian. He was executed in 2001 for killing 168 people in the bomb attack.

Six people were killed in the attack, including a nine-year-old girl. Loughner has not been charged with the young girl’s death; the murder charges relate to the deaths of two federal employees, including a judge.

The judge ordered Loughner to be held without bond, saying he posed a “danger to the community”, CS Monitor reports. He is due to appear in court again on 14 January.

Giffords, though shot through the head at close range, survived the attack and doctors are cautiously optimistic about her recovery. Yesterday, her husband astronaut Mark Kelly released a statement thanking the people of Arizona and the US for their “unbelievable outpouring of support” for the family.

Yesterday, President Barack Obama and his wife led a minute’s silence in memory of the Arizona shooting victims. The president is due to travel to Tucson, Arizona, today to meet with the survivors and the families of the dead.