Another terrorist attack a real possibility warns intel chief

                                      First Hui in Christchurch on June 15, 2021 (Photo for Getty Images by Kai Schwoerer)

New Zealand is not immune to terrorism and extreme violence and another attack is a real possibility, a top government official has said.

Director General of New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) Rebecca Kitteridge said that the terrorist attack on March 15, 2019 that left 51 Muslims dead and injured may could inspire another attack which need not necessarily involve heavy arms and ammunition.

“We understand the national value of connectivity and that inclusiveness and unity are important to fight against terrorism. It is not correct to brand any community as a threat and we must all work together. Everyone is important,” she said.

Ms Kitteridge was speaking as a member of a Panel on Terrorism Challenges: The dynamic nature of the terrorism and violent extremism risk’ at the First Hui Programme organised by the Department of Cabinet and Prime Minister at Christchurch Town Hall.

More than 200 people representing a cross-section of communities heard government officials, academics, the New Zealand Police and other law enforcing agencies on the threats that exist in New Zealand and participated in the ensuing discussions over three days, from June 14, 2021 to June 16, 2021.

Existing and emerging threats

Ms Kitteridge said that there is a realistic possibility that the terrorist’s actions (of March 15, 2019) could inspire another white identity extremist attack in New Zealand.

“Terrorist attacks need not involve heavy arms and guns. If there is a terrorist attack in New Zealand in the next 12 months, it would probably be with common weapons. Knives can be as lethal as guns,” she said.

Ms Kitteridge said that consultation with communities is vital in the fight against terrorism and extreme violence.

In a later speech, NZSIS Minister Andrew Little agreed, saying that there was no guarantee that another terrorist attack will not occur in New Zealand.

“We just have to be alert to this possibility and take every step that we can,” he said.

Other Panellists also highlighted the persistent threat, saying that New Zealand is a far less safe country because of the March 15, 2019 on the Muslim community.

‘New Zealand less safe now’

The threat level is currently classified as ‘medium,’ but the speakers said that “New Zealand is a more dangerous place to live than it was before the Mosque attacks.”

University of Auckland Senior Lecturer and Expert on the causes, dynamics and prevention of violent conflicts Dr Chris Wilson said that mass casualty events like the Christchurch attacks inspire a lot of people.

“The mass casualty events set off contagion events that can last for years. So, something like the Columbine School shootings set off about 500 attacks that people tried to imitate those shootings. It is incredibly difficult. It is impossible for the security services to say that they can prevent every single planned attack,” he said.

Dangerous individuals

Cameron Bayly, Principal Advisor on Crime Prevention and International Policy at the New Zealand Police, said that individuals acting alone and interacting with like-minded people on the Internet pose the greatest threat.

“These are really complicated issues. You have got the public’s trust, the public’s anxiety, the hurt and pain after March 15, 2021. The job of countering terrorism is on all of us,” he said.

Mr Bayly said that there are 10,000 police officers about 4000 staff who can gather a lot of information. “But there are five million people in New Zealand and our partners across the globe and you are only as good as that network,” he said.

This session heard that terrorism and violent extremism are complex issues, whose nature and scale has changed dramatically as the world has become increasingly interconnected.

The Panel discussed the evolution of New Zealand’s terrorism and violent extremism risk in the global context and looked at the changing trends over time.

It also considered the new aspects that are emerging, the next forms of terrorism and violent extremism. The most challenging question was, “What and how the country should be prepared to meet the threat?’

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