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Two Detained in New Zealand's Christchurch Over Threats of Attacking Mosques, Report Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - New Zealand's police have detained two men for posting online threats against two mosques in the city of Christchurch, where more than 50 people were killed in a terrorist attack in March 2019, media reported on Thursday.
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According to The New Zealand Herald, the threats were published on internet site 4Chan and one of the men was charged with threatening to kill. He is due to appear in Christchurch district court on Friday. The other man was reportedly released without charge.

"Any message of hate or people wanting to cause harm, they will be held to account ... It's very concerning for me and for New Zealanders as a whole. Most New Zealanders are peace-abiding. Any threat ... is not the New Zealand way," Canterbury district commander superintendent John Price said as quoted by the media outlet.

On March 15, 2019, New Zealand was rocked by two mass shootings at Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Center in Christchurch. The tragedy left 51 people dead and 40 others wounded. The perpetrator of the deadly attack live-streamed the massacre on Facebook and the video later appeared on other online platforms. The attacker was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in August 2020.

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