Man sacked, deported from UAE for 'celebrating' NZ mosque shooting

Mourners proceed with the coffin of a shooting victim, slain by an Australian gunman who went on a killing spree at two mosques, at the Memorial Park cemetery in Christchurch on March 20, 2019. PHOTO: AFP

DUBAI (REUTERS) - A company in the United Arab Emirates said an employee was fired and deported after he allegedly celebrated the mass killing of Muslims in New Zealand last week.

At least 50 people were killed and dozens wounded by a lone gunman at two mosques in Christchurch last Friday (March 15) in what was the country's worst modern mass shooting.

Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, a suspected white supremacist who was living in New Zealand, was charged with murder last Saturday.

"Over the weekend, a Transguard employee made inflammatory comments on his personal Facebook account celebrating the deplorable mosque attack in Christchurch, New Zealand," security company Transguard said in a statement on Tuesday.

"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," managing director Greg Ward said.

The company said the employee was deported by the UAE government.

Transguard, an Emirates Group brand, did not disclose the alleged comments. The name, nationality, and position of the employee were also not disclosed.

UAE government officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. An Emirates spokeswoman said the company had nothing to add to the Transguard statement.

The UAE has condemned the attack and expressed its condolences to the victims' families and to New Zealand.

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