The police arrest of a wanted man outside a Pakuranga mosque last Friday initially caused alarm about a possible shooter.
Media initially reported shots had been fired outside Masjid Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq just before 2pm at the Cortina Place mosque.
Inspector Wendy Spiller, Counties Manukau Police, very swiftly issued a statement on Friday saying “that at no point were shots fired during this arrest”.
“Any other reporting of the sort is scaremongering and adds unnecessary alarm to members of our community,” she said.
The arrest was not related to the mosque.
Police, with the assistance of the Armed Offenders Squad (AOS), arrested a 40-year-old man.
The man had a warrant for his arrest for wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm relating to an incident in New Lynn from July 25. AOS were called in as a precautionary measure.
“We understand that this incident may have caused alarm but this matter has been resolved and is in no way connected to the mosque.”
The man was expected to appear in the Waitakere District Court.
