Christchurch terror attack: Northern Irish teen charged over death threats to Jacinda Ardern

A Northern Irish teenager is in court after sending death threats to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Matthew Burns, 19, of Newtownhamilton appeared in front of the Newry Magistrates Court on Friday (local time), Irish News reports.

He's accused of sending Ardern pictures of a gun with a silencer captioned "You're next" in the wake of the Christchurch terror attack.

A detective from the Northern Irish police cyber-crime unit said he could connect Burns to the charges. Burns has also been charged with making similar threats to London Mayor Sadiq Khan, a Muslim.

Irish Times reports Burns told police he has far-right leanings and holds negative sentiments towards minorities, including Muslims and the LGBTQ community.

He's been released to his parents' house on bail under a curfew, and has been banned from using the internet.

Burns' parents and sister were in court for the appearance. His mother held her hand to her head and closed her eyes as the charges were read out.

Newshub.