WARNING: This story contains content that may be disturbing. Discretion is advised.
A Muslim community in Langley, B.C. says its members will not be intimidated after receiving what appears to be a threatening letter.
The Langley Islamic Centre posted an image of the message on its Facebook page on Tuesday, calling it a “violent threat.”
The letter, made out of cut-out letters stuck to a piece of paper to form a message, reads: “You have two months to shut this place down and leave or I will go (full) Brenton Tarrant on you mudslimes, invaders must die!”
It then references “1488”, which is a combination of two popular white supremacist numeric symbols.
In the statement on Facebook, centre staff said they are “shaken” by the threat.
Tarrant was accused of killing 51 people at two Christchurch mosques on March 15, 2019.
He killed 44 people at the Al Noor mosque that day before driving to the Linwood mosque, where he killed seven more.
Last year, he pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder, and one count of terrorism, and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The spokesperson for the Langley Islamic Centre told Global News Wednesday the community is concerned, but they will not be deterred.
“It has developed fear in the community, however we won’t be intimidated. We’ve been here before and we see this again,” Fatima Abdalla said.
Langley RCMP confirmed it is investigating the letter, which was received on Aug. 26.
Investigators have begun working with the BC Hate Crime Unit and the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team to try to identify the note’s author, RCMP said.
“It is concerning when something like this happens in the community. We are engaging all the appropriate resources and developing further investigative strategies as well as working closely with the leadership of the Langley Islamic Center (sic). This type of behaviour will not be tolerated,” Staff Sgt. Loi Ly said in a release.
If anyone has information that might assist with this investigation, they are asked to call Langley RCMP at 604-532-3200.
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