New Zealand officials tried “for years” to deport the terrorist who stabbed shoppers at an Auckland supermarket on Friday before being fatally shot by police watching him, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
Leading the news: Ardern vowed on Saturday to tighten NZ security laws later this month following the attack on “ISIS-inspired” Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen, 32, who was struggling to stay in New Zealand as a refugee when injured seven buyers, three critically.
Why it’s important: Among the changes that the Anti-Terrorism Bill would implement would be the criminalization of planning and preparing for a potential terrorist attack, leading to a rift that critics say allowed suspects to remain. free, including LynnMall supermarket striker.
- Ardern said he was constantly monitored because he could not be legally jailed and as a result, nearby police responded quickly when the attack occurred.
The big picture: The attacker was attended to by security services in 2016. Prosecutors wanted to charge him under terrorism laws for having planned an attack last year, but a judge ruled that this was not covered by current legislation.
- His name, the fact that he was a refugee and that officials were trying to revoke that state could not be previously reported due to a court suppression order, which was lifted on Saturday night.
- He spent three years in prison after being charged with crimes such as possession of hunting knives and nasty publications. He was released from prison two months ago.
What they say: Officials have been trying to deport him back to Sri Lanka since 2018 after learning that his refugee status was “fraudulently obtained” and they tried to detain him before a hearing later this year, he said. say Ardern in a statement Sunday.
- “It was incredibly disappointing and frustrating when the legal counsel again said this was not an option,” he added.