Wow, this Noel Becht guy, sure looks a lot like Arizona Gregory of Safer Arizona!!!
Man arrested on suspicion of threatening Phoenix mosque day after New Zealand massacre
Perry Vandell, Arizona Republic Published 9:52 a.m. MT March 17, 2019 | Updated 10:00 a.m. MT March 17, 2019
Police arrested a man Saturday evening whom investigators suspect threatened and intimidated members of a Phoenix mosque one day after a shooter massacred 50 people attending mosques in New Zealand.
Officials say 40-year-old Noel Becht visited the United Islamic Center of Arizona near 19200 N. 35th Ave. around 7:25 p.m. where he claimed to be interested in learning more about Islam.
Becht was invited to sit in on a prayer service, which police say he did for some time. But police say Becht began wandering around the mosque, entering rooms without permission and asking "unusual" questions about service times at that mosque and another in Tempe.
When one of the mosque's leaders asked Becht about his questions, Becht made a sawing motion with his finger to his neck, police say.
Officers arrested Becht "based upon the totality of the circumstances" and booked him into a Maricopa County jail on charges of threatening and intimidating, disorderly conduct and trespassing charges.
The alleged threats came one day after a 28-year-old Australian opened fire on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 50 and injuring dozens on Friday.
Valley police have ramped up surveillance around local mosques since the massacre and ask the public to report any signs of suspicious behavior.
Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at 602-444-2474 or perry.vandell@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @PerryVandell.