Police in New Zealand have detained two individuals accused of making online threats against two Mosques in the city of Christchurch, both of which were the scene of the country’s most deadly shooting in 2019.
“Any messages of hate or people wanting to cause harm in our community will not be tolerated – it’s not the Kiwi way,” said John Price, Canterbury District Commander Superintendent in an emailed statement on Thursday.
Police in the South Island city said that no charges have been made and did not elaborate on the nature of the threats. “We take all threats of this nature seriously and we are working closely with our Muslim community,” the police statement added.
The pair were arrested as the country approaches the two-year anniversary of the deadly attack on the Al Noor mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch. On March 15, 2019, white supremacist Brenton Tarrant opened fire on worshippers, killing 51 people and injuring dozens more. The 29-year-old Australian livestreamed the massacre on Facebook.
Tarrant was sentenced to life in prison without parole, the first time anyone in the country has been confined for the rest of their life.
On Wednesday, France outlawed far-right and anti-migrant group Generation Identitaire. Tarrant had previously donated to the group, which has recently been carrying out patrols along France’s border with Spain.
