New Zealand police probe mosque arson attack

New Zealand police are investigating an arson attack at an Auckland mosque early on Tuesday, when a fire smoldered for eight hours before it was noticed and emergency services were called.

Mosque attacks resonate in New Zealand after 51 people were killed in its worst mass shooting in 2019 that targeted Muslims attending Friday prayers in Christchurch, an assault livestreamed on Facebook by gunman Brenton Tarrant.

Closed-circuit television showed someone broke into the Imam Reza Mosque in New Lynn just before 1am (1200 GMT) and deliberately lit a fire, the police said on Tuesday.

"Police are still investigating possible motive and we cannot say ... it is a hate-related crime," they said in a statement.

Tuesday's attack was shocking and horrific, mosque authorities said on social media.

"There are those who tried to harm us, to shake the very foundations of our sacred space," they said in a post.

"Today, we stand united, proclaiming that our masjid is not merely a physical structure; it is a beacon of light, a place of worship, and a symbol of hope."