Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has today given a detailed criminal history of the terrorist who attacked and injured seven people at LynnMall Countdown on Friday before being shot dead by police.
Since arriving in the country a decade ago, the man had been under the watchful eye of law enforcement for over five years. Read the timeline below:
October 2011: The man arrives in New Zealand on a student visa aged 22. There are no signs of him possessing any extremist views.
April 2016: He is spoken to by police for the first time after coming to the attention of law enforcement by expressing sympathy to recent terrorist attacks and sharing violent war videos. He is warned by police again in May.
May 2017: Despite the warnings, he continues this activity and is arrested at Auckland International Airport by police, who believed he is on his way to Syria. A search of his apartment finds restricted publications and a hunting knife.
He is charged with possessing them and pleads guilty to knowingly distributing restricted publications, fraud and failing to assist police in the execution of their search powers. He is released on bail.
August 2018: While on bail, he buys a knife and is arrested for doing so. Police issue a search warrant and find objectional and extremist material. He is additionally charged with possessing this material, the weapon and failing to assist police in the execution of their search powers. He is kept in custody.
September 2018: The individual is sentenced to 12 months supervision in relation to the first set of charges and remains in prison due to the charges committed while on bail. At the same time, ministers are briefed on counter-terrorism legislation. This includes policy on preparatory acts that may be linked to terrorist activity.
July 2020: The Crown make an unsuccessful attempt to lay an additional charge under the existing terrorism act for his online posts and possession of the hunting knife but it is rejected by the High Court. However, charges for possessing these items are still valid and he is remanded in custody for sentencing. During this time he assaults corrections officers and faces charges for these acts as well.
April 2021: The draft bill for new counter-terrorism legislation is released and has its first reading in May.
May 2021: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is briefed on the potential terrorist threat the man possessed. He is convicted in the High Court on charges of possessing objectional publications and failing to assist the police to exercise their search powers.
He is also found guilty of another charge of possessing objectional material and having a knife in a public place. The Crown seeks GPS monitoring but this is not imposed by the courts.
Having exhausted all legal avenues and not being able to convict the man for charges that would warrant imprisonment, police begin to prepare for his eventual release. This includes round-the-clock surveillance by officers and the armed special tactics group.
July 2021: He is released from custody back into the community and kept under a close eye. In late July Ardern is given a written update on the situation.
August 2021: In late August, police seek to add expediting amendments to the counter-terrorism legislation.
September 2021: The Minister of Justice seeks to speed up the law change on Friday September 3, the same day as the terrorist attack. Around 2.30pm, the man attacks people at LynnMall Countdown with a knife he took from the shelves, injuring seven.
Having heard the commotion, armed special tactics group agents tracking the man rush into the supermarket and shoot him dead within two minutes of the first attack.
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