A 23-YEAR-old rammed his car into the gates of an Australian mosque while hurling insults at worshippers hours after the Christchurch massacre, cops say. Police arrested and charged the driver after he allegedly slammed into the Baitul Masroor Mosque in Stockleigh, Queensland, at around 7pm on Saturday. He then shouted offensive words through his car […]
A 23-YEAR-old rammed his car into the gates of an Australian mosque while hurling insults at worshippers hours after the Christchurch massacre, cops say.
Police arrested and charged the driver after he allegedly slammed into the Baitul Masroor Mosque in Stockleigh, Queensland, at around 7pm on Saturday.
He then shouted offensive words through his car window towards the people inside, before driving home, a police spokesman said.
Earlier in the day at around 2.20pm the driver had been stopped on Buckley Road for a drug test, which tested positive.
The driver was issued with a 24-hour driver’s licence suspension notice and a notice to appear for drug driving.
But police say that once he was was released from police custody, he returned to his car on Buckley Road and drove to the Baitul Masroor Mosque.
“The man allegedly then drove his car along Neville Street and pulled into the driveway of the place of worship, where he has driven his car into the closed front gates causing minor damage to the gates,” a police spokesman said.
The man was arrested and further charged with one count each of wilful damage, commit public nuisance and driving a motor vehicle whilst suspended.
It came one day after Aussie-born Brenton Tarrant opened fire on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing at least 50 people.
A spokesman for the mosque, however, said the car ramming incident was “random” and not connected to the massacre, the Courier-Mail reported.
