Police investigate message left near Christchurch mosque

By Anan Zaki of RNZ

Police are investigating a disturbing message that was written in chalk outside a mosque in Christchurch.

The message, written yesterday on the sidewalk of Masjid An-Nur in Riccarton, was reported to police by the Canterbury Muslim Association.

RNZ understands that the message was written while the faithful were in the evening prayers.

Canterbury Police District Commander John Price said the incident was being taken very seriously.

“We take any message that has a concern very seriously and a report that has been assigned to an investigator has been completed,” he said.

Superintendent Price said the timing of the message, just days after the Royal Commission on the 2019 terrorist attack was released, was worrying.

“No matter what time it is, any message that has an undertone that is not suitable for us in New Zealand is worrying,” he said.

“Whether or not I would be at the back of the Royal Commission of Inquiry or not is irrelevant. At the end of the day, it’s about making sure we get to the bottom of what really happened, why it happened, and who did that.”

Police have increased visibility around Masjid-An-Nur to bring peace of mind to the community.

Masjid An-Nur was one of two mosques attacked during the March 15, 2019 terror attack.

Forty-four people were killed at the mosque, and another seven people were killed at the Linwood Islamic Center.

– RNZ