Suspect Loughner pleads 'not guilty' in Arizona shootings

AFP - The 22-year-old accused of trying to kill a US lawmaker in a shooting spree that left six dead in Tucson pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder Monday, his lawyer said.

Jared Lee Loughner's attorney Judy Clarke entered a plea of not guilty for the attempted murder of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and two of her aides in the January 8 shootings that shocked America.

Loughner sat quietly through the whole hearing, smiling broadly -- as he did the haunting, shaven-headed police mugshot released after his first court appearance. He wore glasses and an orange prison jumpsuit, but his hair had grown.

A further case hearing was scheduled for March 9. At the end of the hearing, Clarke patted his client on the shoulder while Loughner, still smiling, removed his glasses.

Loughner's lawyer was asked whether she had any objections being held in Tucson, rather than the state capital Phoenix some two hours away by car.

Clarke said she did not, although no formal decision was made on that matter.

Loughner, 22, first appeared in court two days after the attacks in Tucson, Arizona, in which he allegedly opened fire on Giffords and others at a public meeting outside a local grocery store.

A federal grand jury indicted Loughner last week on the three counts of attempted murder, although further charges are expected, and he could ultimately face the death penalty.

The victims included a nine-year-old girl and an Arizona federal judge, John Roll, whose colleagues in the Phoenix courthouse have been disqualified from hearing the case due to fears they would be partial in the case.

Loughner's attorney Clarke is known for taking on difficult cases: she represented Unabomber Ted Kaczynski -- an anarchist serving life without parole for a 20-year mail bombing spree -- and 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui.