2021 Auckland supermarket stabbing | |
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Part of Terrorism in New Zealand | |
Location | New Lynn, West Auckland, New Zealand |
Coordinates | 36°54′26.3″S174°41′3.8″E / 36.907306°S 174.684389°E |
Date | 3 September 2021 14:40 (NZST; UTC+12) |
Target | Shoppers at the supermarket |
Attack type | Mass stabbing |
Weapons | Knife |
Deaths | 1 (the perpetrator) |
Injured | 8 |
Perpetrator | Ahamed Aathill Mohamed Samsudeen [1] |
Motive | Islamic extremism [2] |
On 3 September 2021 at 14:40 NZST, eight people were injured in a mass stabbing at the LynnMall Countdown supermarket in New Lynn, Auckland, New Zealand. The attacker, Ahamed Samsudeen, was being followed by police officers, who intervened during the attack, shooting and killing him after he charged at them. [3] [4] He was pronounced dead at the scene. [5] The incident was treated as terrorism [2] and was "ISIS-inspired" according to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. [6] It was the second stabbing in less than four months to occur at a Countdown supermarket, the first being in Dunedin, and the first terrorist attack in New Zealand since the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019.
At the time of the incident, the Auckland region was under strict alert level 4 lockdown due to an outbreak of the COVID-19 Delta variant in the city on 17 August 2021. Supermarkets were one of the few businesses allowed to open at this alert level. [7] In addition, supermarkets were limiting the number of people in the store at one time to ensure social distancing. [8]
Terrorism in New Zealand has been relatively uncommon. The last incident, the Christchurch mosque shootings, was carried out in March 2019, where two mosques were attacked during Friday prayers. A subsequent royal commission found that New Zealand's terrorism legislation was inadequate, and Parliament was already debating amendments to the legislation. [9]
The attacker was trailed by a police surveillance team together with a separate tactical team from the Special Tactics Group when he left his home in Glen Eden and travelled by train to the Countdown supermarket at LynnMall. [3] [10] [11] The surveillance team had difficulty closely following the man in the supermarket due to the man's paranoia of being followed and social distancing restrictions. He proceeded to shop in the supermarket for 10 minutes without suspicion before the attack. [3] [8] [11]
He used a knife from a shelf in the supermarket to carry out the attack. [3] At least one video of the attack was posted to social media showing shoppers warning others and some attempting to intervene. [12]
Two Special Tactics Group officers following him were alerted to the attack 60–90 seconds after it started, and shot the attacker 60 seconds later after he refused to surrender, killing him. [3] [11] [13] He was shot after he ran at them with his knife raised. [14]
Eight people were injured in the attack. [15] Six victims were taken to hospital, five with stab wounds and one with a dislocated shoulder. [16] Auckland City Hospital received three in critical condition and one in a serious condition. Waitakere Hospital and Middlemore Hospital each received one patient in a moderate condition. [5] One victim received minor injury and self-treated at home. [15] An eighth victim was reported by police on 14 September 2021. [17] There were four female victims aged 29, 43, 60 and 66; and three male victims aged 53, 57 and 77. [16] As of 14 September 2021, five of the victims were recovering at home, while three remained in stable condition at Auckland Hospital. [17]
The perpetrator was identified as Ahamed Aathill Mohamed Samsudeen [18] (1988/1989 – 3 September 2021) a 32-year-old [19] Sri Lankan Moor national who arrived in New Zealand in October 2011. [20] Samsudeen, who had a long history of mental health problems and sympathy towards the Islamic State, was shot and killed by the police during the attack.
Samsudeen was born in Kattankudy, Sri Lanka, a Muslim-majority town which has had issues with radicalisation in recent years. The youngest child in a family of four children, he received his secondary education at Colombo Hindu College which in Bambalapitiya, Colombo before arriving in New Zealand in 2011 on a student visa. [21] [22] [23] [24]
Samsudeen sought refugee status as a Tamil Muslim, alleging that he and his father had issues with Sri Lankan authorities because of their political background. His original claim to refugee status was declined in 2012. [25]
In 2013 the Immigration and Protection Tribunal said that Samsudeen was "persistently re-experiencing traumatic events" [26] and concluded he had a well-founded fear of facing harm if he returned to Sri Lanka. He was subsequently granted refugee status. [18] His claim to asylum was supported by scars on his body, as well as a psychologist's report which said Samsudeen presented as a "highly distressed and damaged young man" suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. [18] While investigating him years later, Immigration NZ was made aware of information that led them to believe his refugee status was fraudulently obtained. [25]
According to his mother living in Sri Lanka, Samsudeen was radicalised in New Zealand. She blamed his neighbours from Iraq and Syria for exposing him to radical views. [22] On 23 March 2016, Samsudeen came to the attention of New Zealand police after posting photos of horrific acts of war brutality on his Facebook page, along with remarks praising the Islamic State terrorist strikes in Brussels the day prior, [18] hence being consider a supporter of ISIS. [3] Samsudeen was deemed a public safety danger after purchasing large hunting knives on two occasions and owning Islamic State videos. [19]
On 29 April and 25 May 2016, police formally warned Samsudeen about posting objectionable material on the web. [27] He apologised and deleted his social media account. [28]
Samsudeen continued to engage in online activities. On 19 May 2017, Samsudeen booked flights for his family to Kuala Lumpur, and for himself to Singapore via Kuala Lumpur. All were for the next day. Police arrested Samsudeen at Auckland Airport on the evening of 20 May, [27] Samsudeen had told a worshipper at an Auckland Mosque he wanted to go to Syria "to fight for ISIS", [27] and he was held in custody without bail. He subsequently pled guilty to charges of distributing restricted material. [29]
After his arrest, police executed a search warrant at Samsudeen's flat. The search found Samsudeen had a large hunting knife under a mattress on the floor, and digital storage media which contained fundamentalist material, including propaganda videos, and photographs of Samsudeen posing with a firearm and digital bookmarks to sales of firearms, crossbows, binoculars, military boots and a vest. [27] He was charged with having these goods, and pled guilty to counts of intentionally distributing restricted publications, fraud, and failing to cooperate with authorities in the execution of their search warrants. He was granted bail. [30]
In August 2018, Samsudeen bought a knife while on bail [30] and was arrested again. Another search turned up extremist content, including an Islamic State film showing a masked man slitting a prisoner's throat and wrists in order to kill a "non-believer". He also faced allegations of possessing objectionable material, possessing an offensive weapon, and failing to cooperate with authorities in the exercise of search warrants. [31]
After spending three years in prison, he was released into the community in July 2021. [32] In May 2021, he had been convicted of possessing propaganda-style material supportive of ISIS and was sentenced to one year of supervision. [19] After release from prison, he was being watched by police and the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service, with up to 30 police monitoring him. [3] [33] At the time of the attack he was still facing charges for assaulting prison officers while in custody. [29]
In September 2018, Samsudeen was sentenced to 12 months supervision in relation to the first set of charges, but remained in prison due to additional offences he committed and subsequent charges while on bail. [34]
In July 2020, Samsudeen remained in custody awaiting trial, and the Crown attempted to add an additional charge for the knife and internet posts under the current Terrorism Suppression Act. The High Court denied this, stating that they were bound by law, Justice Downs said it was not for the courts to create such an offence, further saying "The absence of an offence of planning or preparing a terrorist act ... could be an Achilles' heel." [35]
In May 2021, Samsudeen was found guilty in the High Court of possessing undesirable publications, knowing and neglecting to help the police in carrying out their search warrants. He was found not guilty of another charge of having unpleasant material in his possession, as well as the accusation of having a weapon in a public place. [30] [36] [37]
On 6 July 2021, [30] Samsudeen was sentenced to 12 months of supervision by a High Court judge due to the length of time he had previously spent in custody. There were some additional requirements, such as showing his probation officials all of his personal devices and giving them access to his social media accounts. He also had to go through a rehabilitation evaluation and treatment. The Crown wanted him to be monitored by GPS, but that wasn't imposed by the court. [25] He then applied for bail on the charges of assaulting the Corrections officers. [30] A pre-sentence report submitted to the court noted that Samsudeen "had the means and motivation to commit violence in the community" and his risk of reoffending was also considered high. [38] On 16 July 2021, Samsudeen was released on bail by an Auckland District Court judge and was to be monitored by the Special Tactics Group. [30] The Department of Corrections turned down an offer by the New Zealand Muslim Association (NZMA) to help rehabilitate Samsudeen following his release, due to his unwillingness to engage with religious and cultural support. The NZMA expressed concern that Corrections had elected to house Samsudeen at Glen Eden's Masjid e Bilal, whose resources were limited compared to the NZMA. [39]
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Police Commissioner Andrew Coster held a media briefing at 17:15 on the day of the attack. [40] Auckland Mayor Phil Goff vented frustration that the Prime Minister could not share information about the terrorist to the public due to court-issued suppression orders. He also said it is even harder to deal with this attack while the city is under alert level 4 lockdown. [10]
The Sri Lankan government began its own investigation and offered to cooperate with New Zealand authorities. [41]
On 30 September, the New Zealand House of Representatives passed the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Act 2021, which criminalised the planning of terror attacks and expanded the powers of police to conduct warrantless searches. The counter-terrorism bill was supported by the governing Labour and opposition National parties but was opposed by the Green, ACT and Māori parties. [42]
The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand condemned the attack, stating that "terrorists who do such inhumane and vile acts do not belong to any religion... They act out of sheer hate, and they have no place in our country." It also expressed sympathy for the victims and their families as well as bystanders who had witnessed the terror attack. [43]
Samsudeen's family condemned his actions and expressed their love and support for the victims. [44] Sri Lanka's Muslim Council also condemned the attack, calling it a barbaric act of terrorism. [41]
Countdown as well as Foodstuffs, which together own the vast majority of supermarkets in New Zealand, removed all sharp knives from sale nationwide as a precautionary measure. [45]
The incident has been referred to the Independent Police Conduct Authority and to the coroner for investigation. [46]
On the evening of the stabbing, the Crown Solicitor applied to the High Court to lift the suppression order concerning the attacker, which was issued in July 2018. The High Court ruled it would allow publication as there was no longer a proper basis for it, but delayed this for 24 hours to give the attacker's family time to be contacted and his lawyers time to give instructions and seek a new name suppression order if they wished. [47] [48]
A North Shore teenager who had already been planning an Islamic terror attack felt inspired by the supermarket stabbing and intended to execute his plan earlier. He was arrested on 8 September, with police finding bomb-making ingredients in his home. [49]
Countdown was an Australian-owned New Zealand full-service supermarket chain and subsidiary of Woolworths New Zealand, itself a subsidiary of Australia's Woolworths Group. It is one of two supermarket chains in New Zealand, the other being Foodstuffs.
LynnMall is a shopping centre in New Lynn, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. Opened in 1963, it was New Zealand's first shopping mall.
New Zealand has experienced few terrorist incidents in its short history and the threat is generally regarded as very low. However, the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) has warned against complacency. This article serves as a list and compilation of past acts of terrorism, attempts of terrorism, and other such items pertaining to terrorist activities within New Zealand. Significant acts of terrorism include the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in 1985, an act of state-sponsored terrorism by France, and the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019, a far-right attack which resulted in 51 deaths and 40 injuries.
The Special Tactics Group (STG) is the full-time police tactical group of the New Zealand Police. The STG, originally named the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), was established to respond to high-risk situations which are beyond the scope or capacity of everyday policing. STG officers directly support operational police in incidents, such as sieges, with specialist tactical, negotiation, intelligence, and command support services.
Islamic terrorism has been carried out in Europe by the jihadist groups Islamic State (ISIL) or Al-Qaeda as well as Islamist lone wolves since the late 20th century. Europol, which releases the annual EU Terrorism Situation and Trend report (TE-SAT), used the term "Islamist terrorism" in reports for the years 2006–2010, "religiously inspired terrorism" for the years 2011–2014, and has used "jihadist terrorism" since then. Europol defines jihadism as "a violent ideology exploiting traditional Islamic concepts".
Stabbing attacks, which have been used as a tactic for thousands of years, became an increasingly common form of terrorism targeting random civilians in the 21st century, in particular during the 2010s and 2020s.
On 6–7 April 2017, two teenage boys aged 15 and 16 went on a rampage in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia, first stabbing a service station attendant to death, then violently attacking four people in a spree that continued for several hours. The attacks were investigated by Australia's Joint Counter Terrorism Task Force as a possible terrorism-related crime. On 1 May 2020 both males were sentenced. The older received a jail term of 35 years and 6 months, while the younger received 18 years and 4 months.
The Hanover stabbing that occurred on 26 February 2016 was a terrorist stabbing of a police officer in Hanover, Germany, by a 15-year-old girl born to a Moroccan mother and a German father. She had been raised under the influence of salafist preachings, as early as 7 years. She had been investigated by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution for preparing a serious crime already in 2014 and had traveled to meet ISIS members in Istanbul in November 2015. It was the first reported attack by an ISIS sympathiser in Germany.
On 2 August 2017, a 19-year old Palestinian teen critically injured an Israeli civilian with a knife at a local supermarket in the city of Yavne, located in the Central District of Israel. The attacker was subsequently arrested after being captured by civilians who were at the spot. Police confirmed the attack was an act of terrorism.
The 2017 Turku attack occured on 18 August 2017 at around 16:02–16:05 (UTC+3) when 10 people were stabbed in central Turku, Southwest Finland. Two women were killed in the attack and eight people sustained injuries.
On 12 May 2018, a 20-year-old Chechnya-born French citizen, armed with a knife, killed one pedestrian and injured four others near the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris, France, before being fatally shot by police. The stabbings were in the area of Rue Saint-Augustin and Passage Choiseul. French President Emmanuel Macron said France had "paid once again the price of blood but will not cede an inch to the enemies of freedom." The suspect, identified as Khamzat Azimov, had been on a counter-terrorism watchlist since 2016. Amaq News Agency posted a video of a hooded person pledging allegiance to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, claimed to be the attacker. Europol classified the attack as jihadist terrorism.
On 9 November 2018, Hassan Khalif Shire Ali, a male attacker, set his vehicle on fire and stabbed three people at Bourke Street in the Melbourne central business district, Australia, before being fatally shot by Victoria Police. Of the three victims stabbed by Ali, one of the stabbed victims died at the scene while the other two were treated by paramedics and taken to hospital. On 10 November, the Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed that the attack was "an act of terror" and is being treated as such by counter-terrorism police from both the Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police. Police also confirmed that the attack was Islamic State-inspired.
Two consecutive mass shootings took place in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 15 March 2019. They were committed by a single perpetrator during Friday prayer, first at the Al Noor Mosque in Riccarton, at 1:40 p.m. and almost immediately afterwards at the Linwood Islamic Centre at 1:52 p.m. Altogether, 51 people were killed and 89 others were injured; including 40 by gunfire.
A mass stabbing is a single incident in which multiple victims are injured or killed with a sharp object thrusted at the victims, piercing through the skin and injuring the victims. Examples of sharp instruments used in mass stabbings may include kitchen knives, utility knives, sheath knives, scissors, katanas, icepicks, bayonets, axes, machetes and glass bottles. Knife crime poses security threats to many countries around the world.
On 2 February 2020, two people were stabbed in Streatham, London in what police termed a terrorist incident. The attacker, Sudesh Amman, was shot dead by the police. A nearby woman was slightly injured by broken glass as a result. At the time Amman was under active counter-terrorism surveillance, after having recently being released from prison on licence; he had been convicted in 2018 for disseminating terrorist material. Following the attack, the British government introduced the Terrorist Offenders Bill, a piece of emergency legislation intended to prevent those convicted of terrorist offences from being released early from prison; this bill was approved by Parliament and came into force by the end of the month.
On 20 June 2020, shortly before 19:00 BST, a man with a knife attacked people who were socialising in Forbury Gardens, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom. Three men died from their wounds, and three other people were seriously injured. Khairi Saadallah, a 25-year-old Libyan male refugee, was arrested shortly afterwards. He was charged with three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder; he pleaded guilty. In January 2021, Saadallah was sentenced to a whole-life term.
Suhayra Aden is a New Zealand woman who travelled to Syria in 2014. It is alleged that while in Syria she joined the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) where she married two Swedish fighters and had three children. In February 2021, she was detained by Turkish authorities while trying to enter the country with her two surviving children. Turkey subsequently dropped charges against Aden and began proceedings to deport her.
On 10 May 2021, shortly after 14:30 NZST, four people were stabbed at the Countdown supermarket in central Dunedin, New Zealand. The victims were two shoppers and two staff members, reportedly in the area close to the supermarket pharmacy. The attacker stabbed four people in a rampage, seriously injuring three of them. All four stabbing victims were admitted to Dunedin Hospital, with three in the ICU; and was reported that all four remained in hospital, with three in serious but stable conditions.
The Counter-Terrorism Legislation Act 2021 is an Act of Parliament in New Zealand which strengthens counter-terrorism laws, including a provision makes the planning of a terrorist attack a criminal offence. It was fast-tracked through Parliament due to the 2021 Auckland supermarket stabbing. The bill was supported by the Labour and National parties but opposed by the ACT, Green, and Māori parties. The bill received royal assent on 4 October 2021.
On March 22, 2022, four people were killed and two more were injured during a stabbing and vehicle-ramming attack by an Islamic State supporter in Beersheba, Israel.
STG officers then ran to the scene while Samsudeen ran at them with his knife raised.
Detective Superintendent Tim Anderson said an eighth victim had been identified.