Woman with machete arrested after allegedly smashing Jacinda Ardern’s office with huge knife
Jacinda Ardern’s electoral office in Auckland, New Zealand, was allegedly attacked on Thursday
The woman allegedly used a large machete to punch a hole in the door
A woman, 57, was arrested at a house in Coatesville, 30 km northwest of Auckland
No one was injured in the attack, with Mrs Ardern 5000 km away in Antarctica
Police investigation into ‘deliberate damage’ at office ongoing
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A woman has been arrested after allegedly using a large machete to punch holes in the front of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s electoral office.
Police were called to Ms Ardern’s office in the central Auckland suburb of Morningside about 8:20 a.m. Thursday after reports that the door had been smashed and an object thrown inside.
A 57-year-old woman was arrested at a home in Coatesville, a rural community 30 km northwest of Auckland, according to news channel stuff.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s electoral office was vandalized on Thursday
An eyewitness said they saw a person walking across the road to the office and smashing the front doors with what appeared to be a samurai sword.
The person was then seen throwing something through a hole in the door, after which smoke came out of the building shortly after.
A large knife, believed to be a machete, was found on the ground on New North Road by passers-by and was later photographed and retrieved by police.
The New Zealand news outlet claimed it had received an email at 9:03 a.m. from a person declaring responsibility for the attack.
“This morning at 8:20 am I punched a hole in her electoral office door and dropped the bomb [sic],’ the email read.
Police confirmed no one was injured in the attack and are conducting a full investigation into the ‘deliberate damage’ at the office.
No injuries were reported and the building was empty at the time, police said.
“A local investigation will be conducted and the investigation is ongoing.”
Prime Minister Jacinda Arden was nearly 5,000 kilometers away in Antarctica when the attack took place.
Ms Ardern and her fiancé Clarke Gayford reached Scott Base on their second attempt on Wednesday after a Tuesday flight was turned back due to inclement weather at McMurdo Sound.
The Prime Minister will return to NZ late on Friday, having visited the research station.