Ahamed Samsudeen was an ISIS-supporting terrorist who went on a stabbing rampage in New Zealand Friday.
The Sri Lankan refugee was shot dead after stabbing five people and injuring two others during an attack at the Countdown supermarket in New Lynn in west Auckland.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said he was considered one of the nation’s most dangerous extremists and had been watched 24/7 since 2016, adding she was ‘gutted’ he could attack despite being on the terror watchlist.
Age
He was 32 years old.
Incident Details
It came as it was revealed terror police tasked with keeping the ‘highly paranoid’ suspect under 24-hour surveillance did not follow him into the supermarket where he launched his attack out of fear of being spotted.
Five of the victims in the hospital received knife wounds, while one suffered a dislocated shoulder and is now recovering at home. Three of the hospitalized are in critical condition. The victims are four women aged 29, 43, 60, and 66, and three men aged 53, 57, and 77.
The Islamist’s identity had been shielded under New Zealand’s stringent privacy laws after a High Court judge ruled the knifeman’s family must have at least 24 hours ‘to seek a suppression order’ – which ran out at 9 pm local time.
Five of the six people taken to hospital had stab wounds, with three in critical condition.
Ahamed Samsudeen Shot Dead
Samsudeen – who was under 24/7 surveillance by police – was shot dead by the Special Tactics Group members.
Because of the suppression order, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Police Commissioner Andrew Coster could not fully explain the circumstances as to why Samsudeen had not been deported or was even still in the country.
The Prime Minister promised to release more details on Sunday.
Police Report
Despite fears he had been planning a terror attack, courts previously ruled he could only be convicted of lesser charges of possessing ISIS propaganda, resulting in a reduced jail sentence – despite police knowing he was ‘extremely dangerous’ and ‘very likely to carry out an attack.
Samsudeen previously posted a warning to ‘Kiwi scums’ on social media after receiving a formal notice from police over his disturbing internet searches and purchases.
‘One day I will go back to my country and I will find Kiwi scums in my country… and I will show them… what will happen when you mess with S while I’m in their country. If you’re tough in your country… we are tougher in our country scums #payback,’ he wrote.
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He landed himself on the terror watchlist in 2016 after twice buying hunting knives and being found to possess Islamic State propaganda videos.
After receiving an official warning from police over his internet search history and purchases, Samsudeen consumed extremist content online.
In May 2017, he was arrested at Auckland International Airport after booking a one-way ticket to Singapore.
A subsequent search of his apartment uncovered weapons and images of him posing with an air rifle and hunting knife.
He was held in custody without bail for more than a year and eventually pleaded guilty to distributing restricted material.
A High Court judge sentenced him to supervision in 2018 because of the amount of time he had already spent in prison.
The day after he walked free from prison in 2018, Samsudeen purchased yet another hunting knife. He was arrested again but was not prosecuted under the liberal country’s terrorism laws, which police, politicians, and judicial officials have long criticized are not fit for purpose.
On May 26, 2021, Samsudeen was back in court, where he was acquitted of possessing a graphic video and an offensive weapon.
The video reportedly showed a prisoner being decapitated.
The court heard how he had performed internet searches asking about the guidelines of ‘lone-wolf mujahideen,’ knife attacks, and ‘How to survive in the west a mujahid guide.’
He had reportedly told worshipers in his mosque that he intended to join ISIS.
He had also researched the case of ISIS supporter Imran Patel – the first person in New Zealand jailed for distributing extremist videos.
Police officers tasked with keeping him under 24-hour surveillance did not follow him into the supermarket where he launched his attack out of fear of being spotted. It was earlier revealed.
