Worshippers at a Brisbane mosque, which was previously the target of a graffiti attack, were allegedly threatened by a man who entered the building and claimed he had a weapon outside on Sunday morning.
Director of the Masjid Taqwa mosque in Bald Hills, Kambiz Koshan, said the man had approached worshippers shortly before 11am and told them he had an AK-47 in his car outside the building.
Koshan said worshippers chased the man away from the Telegraph Road mosque and called police.
Police later tracked down a 33-year-old Mitchelton man, who was charged with one count each of creating a public nuisance, and disturbing a place of worship.
He is due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on May 22.
“The Queensland Police Service takes all instances of threats against cultural and religious communities with the utmost seriousness,” police said in a statement on Monday morning.
“Everyone in Queensland has a right to feel safe, to not feel threatened or victimised. The QPS urges anyone who feels threatened or fearful by the actions of others to contact police.”
In an unrelated incident, the Bald Hills mosque was targeted by vandals in December, in the wake of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack, when a swastika and the words “f— Allah” and “No Muslims = peace” were sprayed on the building.
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