Mosque leader claims Jews behind New Zealand terror

A prominent mosque leader in New Zealand has blamed the Israeli Mossad for being behind the Christchurch terror attack.

This has left many Jewish communities across New Zealand outraged.

According to Newshub NZ, a group called Love Aotearoa Hate Racism organized a rally for the victims of the massacre at Aotea Square in Auckland.

The chairman of the Mt Roskill Masjid E Umar gave a speech which left many bewildered by statements made accusing Mossad of funding the attack.

"I really want to say one thing today. Do you think this guy was alone? I want to ask you, where did he get the funding from? I stand here and I say I have a very very strong suspicion that there's some group behind him, and I am not afraid to say I feel Mossad is behind this," he said to the crowd.

He goes on to say that the funding for the shooter's massacre was directly funded by "Zionist business."

Mossad is responsible for intelligence collection, covert operations, and counterterrorism. In contrast to the government and military, the goals, structure and powers of the Mossad are exempt from the constitutional laws of the State of Israel. However, its activity is subject to secret procedures that have never been published. Its director answers directly to the Prime Minister.

One person can be heard shouting in support: "It's the truth. Israel is behind this. That's right!"

Though Mossad presence in the area was discovered in 2011, there is absolutely no evidence that the New Zealand shooter had any connection or funding to Mossad. According to the Times of Israel, the shooter himself did visit Israel in 2016. Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Croatia, and Hungary were all also confirmed trips.

The purpose of the shooter's trips in those areas were believed to be related to his study of battles between Muslims and Christians, especially in the balkans. On the shooter's rifle during the massacre, he had several anti-Turkish slogans written in white, including "Turk-slayer" and "Kebab-remover."

These conspiracy theories are dangerous lies. They put the Jewish community at risk, at a time of heightened security concerns," New Zealand Jewish Council spokesperson Juliet Moses told Newshub.

"Conspiracy theories - particularly the idea that Jews (whether through the Jewish state or otherwise) are a malevolent controlling force in the world - are at the very core of anti-Semitism."

Several attendees at the event have already called out the event, saying they were "disappointed by some of the hate rhetoric."

"The speaker talking about Mossad conspiracy theories already left me speechless," one person wrote on the event's Facebook page.

"Mentioning Mossad was deeply, deeply disappointing. And pretty racist," another person said.

When asked to clarify on his comments, Bhamji doubled down on his speech, stating that an inquiry is necessary into where the gunman got his money from. He didn't offer any proof to his speculation Mossad had funded the allgeged gunman.

"Mossad is up to all these things," he said. "When I talk about Mossad, why should the Jews be upset about it? Give me an answer?"

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