WA teenager arrested in Eaton over alleged threats to ‘Christchurch 2.0’ a Sydney mosque
A 16-year-old boy was arrested at Eaton near Bunbury on Tuesday afternoon after allegedly threatening to carry out a mass shooting at a Sydney mosque.
NSW Police alerted their WA counterparts after a member of the Australian Islamic House — Masjid Al-Bayt Al-Islami — in Edmondson Park saw a comment on its Instagram page threatening to “Christchurch 2.0” the mosque.
The threat referred to Australian-born Brenton Tarrant’s 2019 storming of a Christchurch mosque during which he shot dead 51 people.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said whoever was responsible for the abhorrent threat should face the full force of the law.
“There is no place for this in Australia . . . racism and Islamophobia will not be tolerated,” he said in a statement.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the threat was being taken very seriously and a major police investigation was underway.
“Racist threats and Islamophobia will not be tolerated and will be met with the full force of the law,” he said.
“This is very distressing, particularly as Muslims right across the State are participating in prayer during the month of Ramadan.”
Australian Islamic House said it would continue its nightly Ramadan prayers with an increased police presence.
“We take this threat seriously. Our community deserves to feel safe, and we urge authorities to act swiftly,” Mazhar Hadid, president of the mosque, said.
“We also call on the public to stand united against Islamophobia and hate.”
NSW Police said there were no ongoing threats to the community.
“The NSW Police Force takes hate crimes seriously and encourages anyone who is the victim of a hate crime or witnesses a hate crime to report the matter to police through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or through 000 in an emergency,” the spokesman said.
“It is important that the community and police continue to work together to make NSW a safer place for everyone.”
In February, police doubled the investigative resources of Strike Force Pearl to increase patrols across Sydney communities following a rise in anti-Semitic attacks.
