Not enough to raise red flag
Gunman’s suspicious internet use, steroids, and gun wound
When a gunman entered the Masjid AnNur on March 15, 2019, shooting dozens of worshippers in his path, the terrorist was carrying out an attack that had taken months of intensive planning.
But there was no way police, the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) or any other public sector agency could have been alerted about the imminent terrorist attack.
That is the finding of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Mosques released to the public yesterday.
The 792-page report has found while – with the benefit of hindsight – there were clear events that could be linked to the terrorist’s planning, the signs were ‘‘fragmentary’’. ‘‘No single aspect of it could have alerted public sector agencies to an impending terrorist attack,’’ it said.
The report sets out the horrific events of March 15 when 51 people were killed at Masjid An-nur and the Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch.
It details the Australian’s background, his extensive international travel, and the development of his terrorist ideology.
The report includes information on the terrorist’s general life in New Zealand, his planning and preparation, and details of how he got a firearms licence.
The report found police had failed to meet required standards in the administration of the firearms licensing system, did not address whether the shooter’s referees knew him well enough, and that there was a lack of training. Police accepted the system was not robust enough. Commissioner of Police Andrew Coster apologised to families and survivors.
Also included in the report is the Government’s response after the terror attack, a look at hate crime and hate speech law, and evaluation of counterterrorism efforts.
It concludes with a number of findings and 44 recommendations that have been accepted in principle by the Government.
Steroid abuse
On December 18, 2017, the gunman reported to the Dunedin South-medical Centre with abdominal pain. He told the doctor he had been taking steroids and injecting testosterone.
The doctor found the man presented with the ‘‘hallmarks of steroid overuse’’, including a rounded face also known as ‘‘moonface’’. He warned the man the testosterone could have long-term consequences.
The gunman was referred to Dunedin Hospital’s endocrinology service, which gave advice on treatment options and offered to meet with the patient. But an appointment was never scheduled..
Police could not establish the source of the gunman’s drug supply. The royal commission said his use of these drugs was seen as part of his preparation for the attack as he was bulking up.
The commission said it was satisfied the case was properly seen as not warranting disclosure to police.
Shooting accident
On July 13, 2018, the terrorist injured his right eye and thigh in a firearms accident. He had been practising at home with large capacity gun magazines and a round got jammed in the chamber.
His concerns about his eyesight outweighed his need to avoid coming onto the police’s radar. He went to Dunedin Hospital’s emergency department where ametal fragment was removed from his eye. Doctors left a metal fragment in his thigh because it was unlikely to cause any issues.
The registrar who treated the gunman said although they considered the accident to have been ‘‘careless and a little unusual’’, they believed the injury had been an accident and not a suicide attempt. They therefore did not regard it as necessary to report the injury to the police.
The royal commission’s report found the Southern District Health Board was not remiss in not reporting the accident to the police as it was not uncommon to treat a person for aminor injury from an accidental discharge of a firearm.
Social media posts
An employee involved in the immediate post-attack investigation claimed that some time in 2018 they had seen posts that included ‘‘broadly Right-wing views and memes’’, but did not appear ‘‘inherently threatening’’.
The employee maintains they reported seeing the posts to the external assessor carrying out the Arotake Review, but the material was considered as ‘‘not [warranting] escalation due to lack of internet, capability or imminence’’.
It was therefore not passed on to SIS’S counter-terrorism unit.
Report outcome
In its findings, the commission notes intelligence and security agencies have little social licence, which limits their capability and capacity.
‘‘Given the operational security that the individual maintained, the legislative authorising environment in which the counter-terrorism effort operates and the limited capability and capacity of the counter-terrorism agencies, there was no plausible way he could have been detected except by chance.’’
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the report identified many areas needing change.
She said the Government would act quickly to implement some of the recommendations, including the appointment of Andrew Little to coordinate the Government response to the report.