New Zealand correctional officers say that during the time an Islamic State-inspired extremist was jailed, he was transferred to a maximum security prison after punching officers and throwing excrement and urine at them repeatedly. .
WELLINGTON, New Zealand – During the time an Islamic State-inspired extremist was jailed in New Zealand, he was taken to a maximum security prison after punching officers and throwing them several times feces and urine, officials said on Tuesday of the corrections.
Ahamed Samsudeen, 32, was shot dead by police on Friday after grabbing a knife at an Auckland supermarket and starting stabbing shoppers, injuring seven.
About 30 officers had been following Samsudeen all day for 53 days since his release from prison, worried he was ready to launch a terrorist attack at any time.
Since the attack, the condition of its victims has improved every day. Police said Tuesday that two victims remain hospitalized in intensive care units, while two more are in general wards and all are now in stable condition. The other three victims are recovering at home.
“This is really encouraging and positive news,” said Lauano Deputy Commissioner Sue Schwalger.
Samsudeen arrived in New Zealand ten years ago from Sri Lanka on a student visa and later claimed refugee status. He was first jailed in 2017 after attempting to fly to Syria to join the Islamic State insurgency.
He was arrested on various charges, including fraud and distribution of restricted material after police found videos of the Islamic State and a hunting knife in his apartment. He pleaded guilty to five counts in June 2018 and was released for the time he had already served.
Six weeks later, he was re-imprisoned on new charges and remained in prison until July of that year. He spent his last year in Auckland maximum security prison with a small number of other prisoners identified as “extremists”.
Rachel Leota, the national commissioner for the Department of Corrections, said Samsudeen would often mistreat staff and there had been several times he had thrown feces and urine at them or threatened them with violence.
At first, Samsudeen was housed in a general prison, Mt. Eden Corrections Facility. He was transferred to the maximum security prison following an incident in June 2020 when staff attempted to transfer him to an exercise yard.
“He argued with the staff about which yard he was going to and his behavior increased,” Leota said. “He was ordered to return to his cell and beat two officers.”
He said he later assaulted another staff member.
Leota said they identified Samsudeen as violent extremist positioners, but that he refused help. He said he met twice with an imam of the local Muslim community, but that he did not relate to him in a meaningful way.
Samsudeen was finally released from prison in July and moved to an Auckland mosque after a leader there agreed to take him in.
“He was a very, very difficult person to manage, and he was increasingly openly hostile and abusive towards probation personnel,” Leota said.
The case has highlighted the shortcomings of New Zealand’s anti-terrorism laws, especially the difficulty in prosecuting conspiracies. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said she plans to pass new laws, which were already in the works, by the end of the month.
The case has also raised questions about why Samsudeen was not deported before immigration officials in 2019 canceled refugee status on the grounds that he had used false documents. Samsudeen had appealed a deportation sentence at the time he carried out the attack.