Report finds lapses ahead of New Zealand mosque attack
Associated PressWELLINGTON, New Zealand — There were no clear signs that an attack last year on two New Zealand mosques was imminent, but police should have done a better job vetting the lone gunman when he applied for a gun license, and intelligence agencies should have focused more on threats such as white supremacism, according to a new report. It says that New Zealand’s intelligence agencies were far too focused on the threat posed by Islamic extremism at the expense of other threats including white supremacism. The report details his extensive world travels but also shows he had almost no meaningful interactions with people in New Zealand because he was introverted and didn’t work. Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said that in deciding whether Tarrant was “fit and proper” to hold a gun license, “we could have done more to consider whether the two referees knew the individual well enough to serve as referees.” The report also found that the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service, the domestic spying agency, had chosen to concentrate scarce counter-terrorism resources on the threat of Islamist extremist terrorism inspired by groups like the Islamic State at the expense of other threats.
History of this topic
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Report finds security lapses ahead of New Zealand mosque shootings
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New Zealand mosque attacks: Who is Brenton Tarrant?
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