New Zealand police probe mosque arson attack
Police are still investigating a motive
New Zealand police are investigating an arson attack at an Auckland mosque early on Tuesday, when a fire smoldered for eight hours before it was noticed and emergency services were called.
Mosque attacks resonate in New Zealand after 51 people were killed in its worst mass shooting in 2019 that targeted Muslims attending Friday prayers in Christchurch, an assault livestreamed on Facebook by gunman Brenton Tarrant.
Closed-circuit television showed someone broke into the Imam Reza Mosque in New Lynn just before 1 a.m. (1200GMT) and deliberately lit a fire, the police said on Tuesday.
"Police are still investigating possible motive and we cannot say ... it is a hate-related crime," they said in a statement.
Tuesday's attack was shocking and horrific, mosque authorities said on social media.
"There are those who tried to harm us, to shake the very foundations of our sacred space," they said in a post.
"Today, we stand united, proclaiming that our masjid is not merely a physical structure; it is a beacon of light, a place of worship, and a symbol of hope."
Popular
Spotlight
More from World
Timothee Chalamet channels young Bob Dylan in 'A Complete Unknown'
Chalamet signed up to play Dylan in 2019 before the global pandemic and labor strikes in Hollywood, forcing extended delays.
Comments
See what people are discussing