New Zealand attack: 'Egg boy' goes viral after hitting politician who blamed Muslim immigration for atrocity

'Saddle the horses, send messengers far and wide to search the land for the mysterious Egg Boy, whose throw is precise, whose judgement is sound, and whose courage is infinite'

A teenager dubbed "Egg Boy" has become the talk of the internet after he threw an egg at an Australian politician who blamed Muslim immigration for the Christchurch terror attack.

The 17-year-old catapulted to fame after he was captured splatting Queensland senator Fraser Anning during a TV interview, prompting a scuffle in which the youngster was twice punched and then restrained.

Police said the boy was arrested but released without charge pending a further investigation.

Mr Anning had been heavily criticised after conflating Muslim immigration with the far-right shootings at two New Zealand mosques which left 50 people dead.

"Does anyone still dispute the link between Muslim immigration and violence?" he asked.

In a further statement, Mr Anning added: "The real cause of the bloodshed on New Zealand streets today is the immigration programme which allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate to New Zealand in the first place."

After he was egged, people across the planet took to social media to hail the youngster responsible, nicknaming him Egg Boy.

Twitter user defilibrator tweeted: "Egg boy showed the world that religion, age or ethnicity doesn't matter when it comes to standing up against oppression, hatred and evil. You only need a pure heart and the egg boy has a heart of gold! Bless you."

Writer Maxine Beneba Clarke posted: "Saddle the horses. Send messengers far and wide to search the land for the mysterious Egg Boy, whose throw is precise, whose judgement is sound, and whose courage is infinite. For as with Arthur and the Excalibur sword, only he shall lead us out of the darkness."

American actress Chelsea Peretti tweeted: "why did egg boy vid make me cry".

And New Zealand rock band Unknown Mortal Orchestra simply posted: "Egg boy energy."

A GoFundMe page was even launched, with the aim described as raising money for "legal fees" and "more eggs".

Within 14 hours it had raised more than 10,000 (£7,500).