A court has allowed a man who allegedly threatened to kill worshippers at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques to keep his name secret for now.
The 27-year-old has denied all eight charges laid against him, after he was arrested over an online post that targeted the Muslim community in the lead-up to the anniversary of the Christchurch terror attack.
A group of media companies, including TVNZ, RNZ, Stuff and NZME, made submissions to the Christchurch District Court in a special hearing this afternoon, arguing the man’s interim name suppression should be lifted.
However, Judge Alistair Garland deferred the argument for several months, allowing interim name suppression to continue while the man’s defence lawyer obtains reports. Other arguments made in today’s hearing were suppressed.
The defendant faces one charge of threatening to kill the attendees of the two mosques, and seven charges of illegally distributing a manifesto written by the Christchurch terrorist before he attacked those same buildings on March 15, 2019.
Police say they made the arrest after a threat appeared on an internet messaging board known for its association with the far right, just days before the second anniversary of the terrorist attack.
The case will now move towards a jury trial, with the defendant facing a maximum penalty of seven years in jail if convicted.
He has been remanded in custody and will next reappear in April for a case review. The name suppression argument will resume on July 9.
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