4 mosques vandalised in New Zealand

Walls of the vandalised mosques were painted with the message "Londoners RIP", police said yesterday following the deadly bombings in London claimed by Muslim militant groups.

In what appeared to be a co-ordinated series of attacks across Auckland, vandals smashed windows and doors and left variations of the same message in black paint on walls facing the street.

Muslim leaders and political leaders condemned the attacks.

New Zealand Federation of Islamic Associations president Javed Khan said it was the first time an attack on this scale had occurred against the country's 40,000 Muslims, about 25,000 of whom live in Auckland.

They declined to say whether the attacks in Auckland were linked to subway and bus bombings in central London Thursday, which killed at least 49 people and injured 700.