Tucson shootings suspect in court

The 22-year-old faced several charges over the attack in Tucson, Arizona, on Saturday.

Earlier in the day President Barack Obama led the nation in a minute's silence in memory of those who were gunned down.

Mrs Giffords, who was shot in the head, remained in a critical condition yesterday but doctors confirmed the swelling in her brain has stabilised.

Among those killed were a nine-year-old girl and a federal judge.

Loughner walked into the courtroom in Phoenix yesterday wearing handcuffs and in a prison uniform, with a cut on the right side of his head.

During the hearing, he spoke to confirm his identity and had a lawyer appointed to defend him.

It was not clear whether the US justice department would seek the death penalty against Loughner if he were to be convicted.

Six people were killed by a gunman at an event which Mrs Giffords was attending at a supermarket in Tucson, on Saturday morning.

Those killed included US District Judge John Roll, 63, and nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green. She was born on September 11, 2001, and had featured in a book called Faces of Hope that chronicled one baby from each state born on the day terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people in the US.

Others who were killed at the weekend were: Ms Giffords' aide Gabe Zimmerman, 30; Dorothy Morris, 76; Dorwin Stoddard, 76; and Phyllis Schneck, 79.

Mrs Giffords, 40, was still in intensive care at a Tucson hospital yesterday after being shot at close range. Doctors said she had responded repeatedly to commands to stick out her two fingers, giving them hope she may survive.

President Obama said that the US was still in shock about the shootings, but praised the courage of the people who responded on site, saying their actions reflected the "best of America".