Neighbours living in the unit behind the St Albans house, who asked not to be identified, said they had hardly slept after returning late from work and reading the news.
They did not see their neighbour often and were not sure how long he had lived there.
Canterbury district commander superintendent John Price told a media briefing last night that any threat made on people and the community was not tolerated.
"We take all threats of this nature seriously and we are working closely with our Muslim community.
"Any messages of hate or people wanting to cause harm in our community will not be tolerated - it's not the Kiwi way."
The Muslim community was spoken to "pretty soon" after police were made aware of the threat, he said.
In a statement after the arrests, Muslim Association of Canterbury spokesperson Abdigani Ali said they appreciated police acting promptly on the threat and in consultation with the association and Muslim leaders in the community.
In another statement, Islamic Women's Council of New Zealand (IWCNZ) said the threats were "especially cruel" as the community approached the second anniversary of the attacks.
- RNZ
