Terrorist threat level remains ‘high’
New Zealand’s terrorist threat level remains ‘‘high’’ following Friday’s mosque shootings and the biggest danger comes from a copycat attack, a security expert has warned.
The national threat level is set by the Combined Threat Assessment Group (CTAG) and the risk of a further terrorist incident is currently assessed as ‘‘likely’’.
There are six levels; from ‘‘negligible’’, meaning a terrorist attack is very unlikely, to ‘‘extreme’’, when a terrorist attack is imminent.
Before the Christchurch shootings, the threat level was low, meaning a terrorist plot was ‘‘not expected’’. But intelligence chiefs raised the warning to high for the first time in New Zealand’s history after 50 people were killed in two Christchurch mosques.
A spokeswoman for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet said the terrorism threat level was under constant assessment.
‘‘It was changed from low to high and currently remains at high. This is due to the potential for further attacks and the need for continued vigilance.’’
Dr William Hoverd, a senior lecturer at the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at Massey University, said the biggest threat now came from someone attempting to imitate the atrocity. ‘‘The threat was always perceived as coming from Islamic radialisation. I don’t think that they were looking at Right-wing extremism, they were not looking at that sector of the population,’’ he said.
As well as being used to combat terrorism, the security threat level helps determine and manage potential risks from violent crime and protest activity.
Hoverd said the public could expect to see more armed police on the streets following the threat level increase. ‘‘And we can expect to see a crackdown on the supply of weapons.’’