The Greens said they were also worried that some experts had characterised the new offence as a “thought crime”, and that accompanying powers allowing authorities to carry out warrantless searches increased the risk for human rights abuses. The Green party said their members were worried the new law had been rushed through without enough consultation, and that the definition of terrorism had been expanded to the extent it risked capturing “direct action, activism, and protest.” But some of Ardern’s traditional liberal allies in parliament voted against it. The conservative National party joined Labour in voting in favour of the bill, which passed by 98 votes to 22. Changes to these laws were recommended after a 2019 attack, in which a white supremacist gunman killed 51 Muslim worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch during Friday prayers. New Zealand’s terrorism laws date back to soon after the 11 September, 2001, attacks in the US. If it saves lives, and makes New Zealanders safer, I believe that is a good thing.” “And these changes will also enable police to intervene earlier.

“This bill strengthens our counter-terrorism laws to better prevent and respond,” said lawmaker Ginny Andersen, from the liberal Labour party. But Ardern also said that even had the new law been in place, it may not necessarily have stopped Samsudeen. That “could be an achilles heel,” the judge acknowledged at the time, adding that it was not up to a court to create new laws.Īfter the attack this month, prime minister Jacinda Ardern vowed to pass the new legislation by the end of September. The judge found New Zealand’s anti-terror laws didn’t specifically cover plots. But a judge ruled the act of buying a knife wasn’t enough to proceed with the case.

Prosecutors argued there was evidence he bought the knife with the intention of killing people and to further an ideological cause. However, police had found no legal reason to detain him.Ī year earlier, prosecutors had unsuccessfully tried to charge Samsudeen with terrorism after he bought a large hunting knife and was found with violent Islamic State videos. Authorities had been following him for 53 days straight, worried he planned to launch an attack at any moment after he was released from prison in July. Police officers shot and killed the extremist, Ahamed Aathil Samsudeen, after they said they confronted him in the supermarket and he charged at them with the knife.

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