Australian police probe threatening letter to country's largest mosque.

Australian police said on Thursday they had launched an investigation after a threatening letter was sent to the country's largest mosque, the third such incident in the lead-up to the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.



The letter sent to Lakemba Mosque in Sydney's west contained a drawing of a pig and a threat to kill the "Muslim race".



Police said they had taken the letter for forensic testing, and would continue to patrol religious sites including the mosque, as well as community events.



The latest letter comes weeks after a similar message was mailed to the mosque, depicting Muslim people inside a mosque on fire.



Police have also arrested and charged a 70-year-old man in connection with a third threatening letter sent to Lakemba Mosque's staff in January.



The Lebanese Muslim Association, which runs the mosque, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) it had written to the government to request more funding for additional security guards and CCTV cameras.



Some 5,000 people are expected to attend the mosque each night during Ramadan.



More than 60% of residents in the suburb of Lakemba identify as Muslim, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.