Police charge man after alleged threat made to Kuraby Mosque on Brisbane’s southside
A 30-year-old man has been charged by counter-terrorism detectives after a serious threat was allegedly left on the telephone service of a mosque on Brisbane’s southside.
The leaders of the mosque say they are concerned for the safety of their worshippers and the broader Muslim community.
Ali Kadri, the chief executive of the Islamic College of Brisbane, said a voice message was left with the Kuraby Mosque on Monday allegedly detailing various threats.
A Queensland Police Service spokesperson said a man from Sunnybank Hills on Brisbane’s southside was arrested at his home early on Tuesday morning and has been charged with one count of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence — which would be in contravention of the Commonwealth Criminal Code.
He has been granted police bail and is due to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court at the end of the month.
Police say there is no ongoing threat to the community.
Mr Kadri said the mosque’s leadership and administration team had heard the message and were “panicky and afraid”.
Mosque targeted after September 11 attacks
He said in the past, when threats had been made against mosques in Queensland, authorities had responded with an increased police presence.
The Kuraby mosque was targeted in an arson attack in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, in 2001 — something Mr Kadri said was never far from the community’s thoughts.
“It’s something that bothers and scares the Muslim community a lot more, especially in one of the largest mosques in Queensland which was burnt down in the wake of September 11, 2001,” Mr Kadri said.
SOURCE: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-04/qld-kuraby-islamic-mosque-threat-man-charged-brisbane/101497074