‘Batman’ actor Bale voices ‘horror’ at US massacre

British actor Christian Bale arrives for the European premiere of his latest film ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ in London’s Leicester Square on July 18, 2012. AFP /Max Nash

LOS ANGELES – British actor Christian Bale, who plays Batman in the “Dark Knight” movies, voiced “horror” Saturday at the Colorado opening night theater massacre, in which 12 people were killed.

“Words cannot express the horror that I feel. I cannot begin to truly understand the pain and grief of the victims and their loved ones, but my heart goes out to them,” he said in a statement released by his publicist.

Bale plays Bruce Wayne – who dons his cape and mask to become the Caped Crusader – in the blockbuster movie franchise that ends with “The Dark Knight Rises,” the third and final installment released this weekend.

Suspected gunman James Holmes was arrested shortly after the shooting at a midnight premiere screening early Friday in Aurora, Colorado, in which he wore full body armor and a gas mask.

Bomb experts are still working to defuse a sophisticated system of booby traps in the 24-year-old’s nearby apartment, which police say likely aimed at killing officers arriving to search it after the massacre.