Terrorist’s Historical past in Courtroom, Choose Denied GPS Monitoring; as much as 90 seconds between the primary of seven stitches, deadly photographs

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said seven people were injured in the terrorist attack on a supermarket in Auckland yesterday and three people are still in critical condition.

Five people are in the hospital – including the three critically injured. Two people are relaxing at home.

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said there was nothing unusual about the subject’s routine – taking the train from Glen Eden to the New Lynn Countdown.

He arrived at the supermarket at 2:20 pm and went shopping normally for about 10 minutes.

A timeline is created from CCTV recordings.

Coster said the man’s actions yesterday even suggested he was planning a future attack.

Long-term monitoring is very difficult, said Coster.

“Surveillance is different from a security detail.”

“They are highly skilled specialists … they are very good at what they do,” Coster said of the teams that were tracking the terrorist.

Coster said the police responded within 60 seconds of people calling. The attack began 60-90 seconds earlier.

All of the injuries the seven victims suffered were due to the perpetrators’ actions, Coster understood.

Terrorist had “high paranoia”

He said there was “a high degree of paranoia” on the subject.

“We had no legal reason to hold onto this issue,” said Coster.

He said the police officers behaved as they were expected.

He paid tribute to the first aid provided to the victims by professionals and the public.

Surveillance staff could not move with the man in the supermarket because of the Covid outbreak in Auckland, Coster said. They waited at the entrance.

A trained paramedic played a key role in the treatment. One member of the population had advanced training in first aid.

He realized that the supermarket staff will be shocked and the police will be visible in the coming days.

When asked if the person knew if they were being followed, Coster said there were two options, either planned or opportunistic. Coster said we may never know, but said the man was very aware of the surveillance.

The crime scene investigation was still ongoing. CCTV footage showed him taking a kitchen knife off the shelf and using it. Coster said there was nothing to suggest that any other weapon was used.

Coster said the officers “behaved exactly as we expected them to”.

While there were many people with worrying ideologies, Coster said there were few who reached this level of concern.

The terrorism threat level remains medium, he said.

“Such cases are most unusual,” said Coster.

Police would conduct more visible patrols in supermarkets

“I have no doubt that the first aid provided in this case made a huge difference to the victims.”

Coster said a lot of misinformation had spread throughout the community. This case is an outlier and no one else has been looked for in relation to the event.

Events like this can create disturbing attitudes in some people, Coster said, and the police would be visible in the days ahead.

“This incident should not cause undue public concern.”

Ardern said the work under the Crown Act had been carried out to provide more information. Before that, however, the court granted the family a 24-hour window.

There are details about the man’s immigration that she cannot share yet, along with his name, even though she did not intend to publish her name.

The story of the terrorist in New Zealand

The man arrived in New Zealand in October 2011 when he was 22 years old and traveling on a student visa.

His “extreme” views were not known when he arrived.

He was arrested at Auckland Airport in May 2017, believed to be flying to Syria.

He was released on bail after being arrested on several charges.

In September 2018, he was sentenced to a 12-month supervision of the front-end load.

In the same month, ministers were briefed on the work to be done on counter-terrorism.

In July 2020, the Crown failed to bring another charge against the knife purchase and offensive material.

He also attacked prison officials and was charged as a result.

Officials met several times to address the man’s risk as they were concerned about restricting legal options.

Work on his immigration status was underway at this point and further details should be released tomorrow.

On July 6th, he was sentenced to 12 months of custody.

He had to go to rehabilitation. GPS tracking was searched for but not successful.

“During this period officials met several times to consider what options could be pursued to deal with the risk posed by this person, and to prepare for the potential that we might run out of legal options for imprisonment,” said Ardern Anfang this year .

Ardern says she hopes to share more details with the public tomorrow. That depends on whether the current legal repressive measures are lifted.

The police worked with the NZ SIS, Ardern said. The police found that he could be arrested without a warrant.

In July, he was released into the community and surveillance began. Ardern received an update at the end of July.

“I was informed about this particular work in May 2021. I took further advice on whether provincial orders could be used,” she said, but was later told that they could not be used and the man had no psychological evaluation either.

In late August, Coster and others raised the issue of loopholes in counterterrorism legislation.

The IPCA and the coroner will be an important part of this work in moving this case forward, she said.

As soon as parliament resumes its work, Ardern said by the end of this month at the latest, loopholes in the counter-terrorism legislation would be closed.

We owe it to everyone for others to look at this case to see if more could be done, Ardern said.

Ardern said the police were tireless and it was said that up to 30 people were involved in the operation

She said to Auckland that times are tough, but we are all with you.

She said the counterterrorism law would be passed by the end of the month and she thanked national leader Judith Collins for her assistance in using the urgency to pass the law.

Ardern quoted the imam of the Al-Noor Mosque in Christchurch and said we stand for peace and love, not for hate.

When asked if the law had failed for New Zealanders, Ardern said that every route would be used and if it was not possible for him to be arrested, he would be closely monitored.

However, she said it was incredibly tough when it was a lonely actor.

The man was released in July and Ardern said every legal means was used to keep him in custody. The police were constantly monitoring him and had reasons to arrest him for certain reasons.

She said it was not fair to assume that the change in the law made any difference in this case.

Ardern received a written overview of the situation in late July and met with officials on August 9 to discuss additional risk mitigation options.

“That was a highly motivated person who used a visit to the supermarket as a shield for an attack.”

In late August, Ardern said officials, including Coster, met to discuss accelerated passage of the counterterrorism bill within 48 hours of their discussion.

Has terrorist been radicalized in New Zealand?

When asked about his radicalization, Ardern said she didn’t know how that happened. However, she said 2016 was the first time officials saw the man post problematic content.

“That was yesterday, the same day the attack happened,” said Ardern.

Successive governments have not pushed this work forward, we have, she said.

He was charged with offensive materials and possession of a knife, but it was no longer possible to keep him in prison for these items when the police intervened under close surveillance.

When asked whether there was an opportunity to appeal against one of the judgments, Coster emphasized that all legal channels had been examined.

Ardern said she had no information on a court-ordered psychological report. However, she said she was looking for information as to whether the man could have been shared.

Coster said it was fair to say the man was “uncooperative” to address his behavior.

Nothing happened to create a legal basis for any action other than the police, said Coster.

Ardern yesterday described the 32-year-old man as a “lone wolf” who is monitored by the police around the clock.

The terrorist, known only as “S” for legal reasons, had previously been arrested for allegedly planning a knife attack.

Police stayed at the New Lynn supermarket crime scene on Saturday morning. Photo / Dean Purcell

Ardern said information about the attacker falls under judicial repression orders, but she believed it was in the public interest to “share as much as possible” if they were legally able to do so.

She said the person has been on a government watchlist since 2016 and is known to have Isis-inspired views. However, she stressed that his actions did not represent any ethnicity or community.

Countdown supermarkets opened at 10 a.m. yesterday morning after the terrorist attack in New Lynn. Photo / NZ Herald

“What happened today was despicable, it was hateful, it was wrong,” said Ardern.

“It was carried out by an individual, not by a belief, not a culture, not an ethnic group, but by an individual person who was captured by an ideology that is not supported by anyone or any community here.

“He alone is responsible for these acts.

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster spoke to the media with Ardern on Friday. Photo / Stuff / Robert Kitchin

Speaking to the media alongside Ardern yesterday, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the man was “closely watched by surveillance teams and a strategic tactical team” as he traveled from his home in Glen Eden to the New Lynn countdown yesterday afternoon.

“I know this operation raises the question of whether the police could have done more,” said Coster.

“The reality is that if you are monitoring someone around the clock, it is not possible to be right next to them.”

Coster said there was nothing prior to the attack to suggest the man had traveled to New Lynn Countdown for anything other than “routine business”.