Rise of far Right was on spy radar

Far-Right extremists were on the intelligence radar and tipoffs about their activity had been followed up ahead of the Christchurch mosque attack, according to the Government and intelligence bosses.

The minister responsible for intelligence agencies, Andrew Little, said the SIS commissioned its own internal review into the far Right about nine months ago.

It was in response to the ‘‘obvious rise’’ of white supremacism, and other far-Right activity around the world, he said.

‘‘The rise of white supremacism had become apparent in the arrests in Europe and other parts of the world and it was at that point the SIS undertook its programme of work to consider how they had to gear up.’’

The Government has announced a review into the mosques massacre, which killed 50 people and injured another 50.

Little said it could be followed by a royal commission of inquiry.

Australian man Brenton Tarrant has been charged with murder.

The hunt for answers and any international links has become a global effort, with agencies from the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and other countries now involved.

The focus of the review will be what the intelligence agencies, police and Customs knew, and whether they could have done more to anticipate the attack.

Three weeks before the deadly attack, SIS boss Rebecca Kitteridge told a parliamentary committee the threat of terrorist attack in New Zealand was low, meaning an attack was assessed as possible but not expected.

She referenced far-Right extremism, but largely in the context of its ‘‘slow but concerning rise’’ internationally.

Tarrant was reportedly a member of Right-wing chat groups but none of his activities brought him to the attention of police or the intelligence agencies in Australia or New Zealand.

Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has said Tarrant had spent just 45 days in Australia over the past three years, and had been travelling internationally extensively for the past nine years.

Tarrant moved to New Zealand in 2017.

Little told TVNZ’s Corin Dann on Monday evening that he did not believe the intelligence agencies had failed but the inquiry would assess ‘‘what they should have known, what they could have known’’.

Little did not accept there had been too much focus on Islamic extremism.

Asked if they had also followed up on tipoffs about far-Right extremism, Little responded: ‘‘As the minister I sign every warrant that those agencies operate under that are the most intrusive activities that they do. No warrant lasts more than 12 months. So every warrant that is actively being pursued at the moment is one that I’ve signed off.

‘‘What I can say ... is that a proportion of those jobs relate to extremism . . . They relate to all forms of extremism.’’

Tarrant live-streamed video of his attack to several websites and to his Facebook page. He also tweeted pictures of his weapons. The posts are now removed and his accounts shut down, meaning the extent to which he foreshadowed the attack is not clear.

He emailed a number of media organisations and government addresses including the prime minister’s office with his manifesto, but only minutes before he started shooting.

In a rare step on Monday, Government Communications Security Bureau director Andrew Hampton confirmed the agency had not collected or received relevant intelligence from its partner agencies ahead of the attacks.

The agency is part of the Five Eyes surveillance network that also includes the US, Australia, Canada and the UK.

Kitteridge said she was limited in what she could say about individuals, ‘‘and that’s especially the case while there is an active police investigation’’.

‘‘NZSIS has two top priorities right now. We are focused on supporting police in their important investigation and the resulting prosecutions. We are also focused on mitigating the risks to New Zealanders posed by possible revenge or copycat attacks.

‘‘To achieve this mission the NZSIS is currently operating 24 hours a day and is drawing on all our international partnerships,’’ she said.

‘‘The rise of white supremacism had become apparent in the arrests in Europe and other parts of the world.’’ Minister Responsible for NZSIS Andrew Little