Man fired and deported from UAE for celebrating New Zealand mosque shootings

Employee accused of making 'inflammatory comments' on Facebook

An employee for a security company in the United Arab Emirates has been fired and deported after he allegedly celebrated the mass murder of Muslims in New Zealand last week.

Transguard Group said its employee, who was not identified, made “inflammatory comments” on his Facebook page after at least 50 people were killed and dozens wounded at two mosques in Christchurch on Friday.

The company said the employee was fired and handed over to authorities before he was deported by the UAE government.

In a statement, Transguard said: ”Over the weekend, a Transguard employee made inflammatory comments on his personal Facebook account celebrating the deplorable mosque attack in Christchurch, New Zealand.”

Managing director Greg Ward said: “We have a zero-tolerance policy for the inappropriate use of social media, and as a result this individual was immediately terminated and turned over to the authorities to face justice.”

Transguard did not disclose the man’s alleged comments, and his name, nationality and position were not released.

UAE newspaper The National said the employee was believed to be a security officer whose Facebook post celebrating the shooting also included a reference to a deadly attack on Indian soldiers in Kashmir last month.

The UAE, where the official religion is Islam, has condemned the attack in New Zealand and offered its condolences to the victims’ families.

Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian man who was living in New Zealand, was charged with murder over the country’s worst modern mass shooting on Saturday.

The first two people to be buried after the attacks were a father and son. Hundreds of people attended the services in Christchurch.