A man has been charged over an alleged bomb hoax at a Gold Coast mosque.
Police responded to reports of a ‘suspicious item’ left at a mosque on Allied Drive in Arundel about 8.40pm on Sunday.
The Explosive Ordinance Response Team located the item and deemed it safe.
‘There was no risk to the community,’ a Queensland Police Service spokesperson told Daily Mail.
A 34-year-old Labrador man has been charged with bomb hoax, trespass and obstruct police.
He was remanded in custody to appear at Southport Magistrates Court on Monday.
Hussin Goss, chairman of the mosque, told the Daily Mail the local Muslim community was left ‘deeply upset’ by the incident.
‘Even though it was a non-explosive device, we are very concerned someone would go through the procedure of making the device, designing it to look like a bomb and sneaking into a place of worship during prime time,’ he said.
Pictured is the ‘suspicious item’ found at the Arundel mosque on Sunday
A man has been charged over the alleged bomb hoax
The Explosive Ordinance Response Team located the item and deemed it safe on Sunday
Mr Goss said the alleged offender left the scene by car before returning hours later, where he was approached by police.
‘Acts like these put terror into the community,’ he said.
Though the motivations of the alleged offender are not clear, Mr Goss said there was ‘no doubt’ Islamophobia was on the rise in Australia.
‘We need peace. We need so-called politicians like Bob Katter and Pauline Hanson to stop making these claims for their two minutes of fame,’ he said.
Mr Goss said he remained in hourly contact with the police who, he said, agreed the incident was ‘very concerning’.
Islamic College of Brisbane chief executive Ali Kadri thanked police for their swift response and urged the community to take the incident seriously.
‘We urge our leaders to treat these threats with the seriousness they deserve,’ Mr Kadri wrote on social media.
‘Our families, our children, and our places of worship must be protected like anyone else’s.’
‘Hate will not win,’ he added.
Investigations are ongoing.
