Shooting victim makes death threat

A victim of last week's Arizona shooting rampage was arrested on Saturday and ordered to undergo a mental evaluation after threatening a Tea Party leader during the taping of a television show.

James Eric Fuller, who was shot in the knee on 8 January, objected to comments by Trent Humphries, leader of the conservative movement in Tucson. The clash came during a town hall meeting, organised by ABC News, to discuss the aftermath of the shootings.

Mr Fuller, 63, stood up and took a photograph of Mr Humphries before yelling: "You're dead," said Pima County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jason Ogan. Deputies arrested Mr Fuller for disorderly conduct and making a threat. After consultation with a doctor, deputies then took Mr Fuller to a local hospital for evaluation.

Mr Fuller was one of 13 people injured when a gunman opened fire during a gathering of constituents of US Democratic congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Six people died, including a federal judge and a nine-year-old girl, and the congresswoman remains in critical condition in a Tucson hospital. She was removed from a ventilator for the first time on Saturday.

A 22-year-old college drop-out, Jared Loughner, was arrested. He is charged with five counts, including the murder of a federal judge and the attempted assassination of Ms Giffords.

The rampage sparked a debate about whether the vitriolic tone of partisan politics in the United States contributed to the suspect's motivations.