Ardern’s Terrorism Duplicity

In September 2017, Jacinda Ardern was sworn in as Prime Minister and Minister responsible for the security services.

Like all incoming Cabinet ministers, Ardern was provided with what is referred to as ‘Briefing for the Incoming Minister’. All Cabinet ministers receive these – one for each portfolio.

As one might expect, the briefing is considerably redacted citing Section 6 of the OIA, yet what is there and what isn’t there, are very instructive.

Nowhere is there mentioned ‘White Supremacy’, yet Islamic threats are fairly well-explained (to Ardern) as follows:

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‘Violent extremism

The counter-terrorism environment in New Zealand is still dominated by the influence of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). At any one time over the past three years, between 30 and 40 people have been listed on NZSIS’s counter-terrorism risk register. These individuals are assessed to represent an actual or potential threat to New Zealand related to terrorism, for example, those seeking to carry out a domestic terror attack, foreign terrorist fighters, or individuals providing financial or facilitation support. Violent extremist ideology and messaging, primarily accessed through online content and social media platforms, continues to resonate with a small number of individuals in New Zealand. NZSIS continues to investigate individuals for supporting or attempting to join ISIL in Syria and Iraq. NZSIS also provides security information to support passport cancellations. The provision of this information helps to support United Nations resolutions preventing travel by foreign terrorist fighters. Terrorist attacks have continued - especially in Europe and the UK. These have been both sophisticated and rudimentary, often targeting places

(REDACTIONS)

of mass gathering and busy city streets, using weapons which are easily acquired.’

What happened?

So, what happened between in the fifteen months between this briefing (September 2017) and March 2019 (the Christchurch mosque shootings), for Ardern’s terrorism awareness to go from being entirely sourced in Islam, both local and international, to being rooted in ‘White Supremacism’? Ardern’s actual words in reaction to the news that the shooter (Tarrant) was white, were: ‘We’re looking in the wrong direction’.

The EU situation

The statistics for Islamic attacks and attempts in the EU alone for that first 18-month period of Ardern’s tenure as Minister make chilling reading but they were Islamic business-as-usual: ‘targeting places of mass gatherings and busy city streets, using weapons that are easily acquired’.

The attacks occurred on an almost monthly basis in Italy, France and the UK and involved both (‘easily acquired’) bladed weapons and homemade bombs.

· September 2017 Parsons Green London No fatalities 30 wounded

· October 2017 Marseilles Two fatalities

· March 2018 Carcassonne (Fr) Four fatalities 15 wounded

· May 5 2018The Hague No fatalities 3 wounded

· May 12 2018 Paris One fatality 4 wounded

· May 29 2018 Liege (Belgium) Four fatalities 4 wounded

· August 31 2018 Amsterdam No fatalities 2 wounded

· December 11 2018 Strasbourg Five fatalities 11 wounded

· December 31 2018 No fatalities 3 wounded

· March 18 2019 Utrecht Four fatalities 2 wounded

At this point ‘White Supremacy’ made an appearance in Christchurch.

Notwithstanding the fact that Prime Minister Ardern had probably been briefed on no fewer than 10 Islamist attacks in Europe during her tenure (to that point) with 23 killed and many more wounded, she highlighted the Christchurch event with the comment ‘We’re looking in the wrong direction’.

So where were the attacks by ‘White Supremacists’ over that period that would have caused the PM to flip her attention and public utterances in that direction?

Well, if we deduct the anti-Semitic attacks, which have always been part of the sub-culture of Europe, the actual number of attacks by ‘White Supremacists’, is vanishingly small in the period between Ardern’s 2017 swearing in and the Christchurch shootings.

The situation presented to Ardern at her regular meetings with security chiefs would have been an unrelenting litany of Islamic terrorism in Europe and nothing much to report on anything else.

Mohammad Samsudeen

For ease of reference let’s set the Islamic terrorist attacks in Europe list above, against Samsudeen’s known activities over the same period:

Ardern elected PM

It is inconceivable that Samsudeen was not part of the ‘taking office’ briefing to Ardern as head of the security services and that he was not mentioned in the regular briefings she would have received thereafter.

Ardern knew what was going on

It is noteworthy that Ardern’s close involvement in the Samsudeen case was underlined by what is identified in the papers in that on 12 May 2018 she made personal enquiries about the possibility of deporting Samsudeen.

But after the mosque shootings and despite her close involvement in the case of a likely Islamic terrorist, Ms Ardern, made a public announcement that New Zealanders were most at risk from ‘White Supremacists’.

It must have been disconcerting for her to learn on 21 September 2021 that Mohammad Samsudeen (someone she had been well aware of) who had been admitted to this country, first of all as student and then as a refugee had stabbed numerous shoppers at Lynnmall Auckland even while under close ‘on the shoulder’ surveillance by security agents.

Fair treatment

Samsudeen was treated honestly and fairly by the refugee and migrant system in NZ but as soon as he had PR granted in April 2014 he made plans to join a terrorist organisation overseas. Thwarted at the airport, his hatred festered away until in late 2021 it boiled over and he attacked shoppers in Lynnmall.

He was shot at the scene but as a final gesture of decency the Government arranged for his body to be taken back to his home country.

A September 2021 statement from Ardern contained this self-serving gem.

‘I asked for work to be undertaken to look at whether we should amend our law, in the context of our international obligations’.

At that point Ardern had been responsible minister for four years.

Why did no journo from our supine media ask the question: ‘Prime Minister.  You have been responsible for security for four years, during which Samsudeen was emerging as a real terror threat. Why has it taken all this time for you to get to the point of amending the law and how many times during that four years did the security services request change which you chose to ignore’?

Once stardust has been sprinkled it lasts and lasts.