Indian man sacked, deported from UAE for praising NZ attacks

Dubai-based security firm takes action after man celebrated mosque attacks using a fake Facebook profile

DUBAI: An employee at a Dubai-based security company was fired and deported for celebrating the deadly New Zealand mosque attacks under a fake identity on Facebook.

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

"Despite posting under a false name, the employee responsible for last weekend's inflammatory (Facebook) comments has been identified, terminated as per Transguard policy and handed over to the authorities."

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Transguard, which is affiliated with the Emirates Group that includes Emirates Airline, said the man had been deported by the UAE government. It did not name him or reveal his nationality, but social media users identified him as an Indian.

"After verifying this person’s actual identity, he was apprehended by Transguard, stripped of his security credentials, terminated from our employment and handed over to the relevant authorities as per company policy and UAE Cybercrime Law No. 5 of 2012. As of this statement, he has been deported by the UAE government."

“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,” said Transguard Managing Director Greg Ward.

An Australian white supremacist shot dead 50 Muslims praying at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand on Friday.

The attacks sparked global revulsion and drew condemnation from the United Arab Emirates.

In a statement following the attacks, the foreign ministry said the UAE stood in "full solidarity with the friendly state of New Zealand to confront extremism and terrorism and... safeguard the security and the safety of its citizens and all residents".