New Zealand intelligence services failed to appropriately investigate the threat of right-wing extremism prior to the Christchurch terror attack, instead placing disproportionate scrutiny on Islamic extremism, the final report from the royal commission into the deadly shooting has revealed.
It also found issues with the administration of gun licensing but said there was no way authorities could have known of the imminent attack.
The 792-page report, which was released in full by the New Zealand government on Tuesday, is the result of an 18-month long inquiry into the actions of government agencies in the lead up to the 15 March attack in 2019.
Fifty-one Muslim worshippers were killed and dozens more injured when a lone gunman opened fire on the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in inner-city Christchurch.
Australian man Brenton Tarrant was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the shootings in August.
The report made 44 recommendations, including the need for reforms to hate speech laws, changes to firearms licensing, and the creation of a new national intelligence agency.
Christchurch Islamic community leaders on Tuesday described the revelations in the report as “alarming” and accepted all of the recommendations, which they hoped would help rebuild trust within the Muslim community.
“We’ve known for a long time that the Muslim community has been targeted with hate speech and hate crimes – this report shows that we are right,” said Abdigani Ali, spokesperson for the Muslim Association of Canterbury.
“It’s time for change and the time is ripe to make those changes. We have one of the most diverse parliaments in the world and all sorts of groups are waking up to outdated ideology that has disadvantaged different parts of New Zealand’s community for a very long time.”
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Tuesday the government would implement all recommendations and issued an apology for the disproportionate scrutiny placed on the Muslim community ahead of the attack.
“For many years the Muslim community has raised concerns about the disproportionate scrutiny. The report confirms that there was inappropriate concentration of resources,” she said.
“The commission made no findings that these issues would have stopped the attack. But these were failings nonetheless, and for that, on behalf of the government, I apologise.”
The final report was presented to Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy late last month, with community leaders and the families of victims granted early access to the findings.
More than 400 interviews were conducted and 73,500 pages of evidence and submissions analysed as part of the inquiry.
“We sincerely thank all those who have made valuable contributions to the inquiry through submissions, formal interviews, hui, written evidence or expertise,” Commissioner William Young said on 26 November.
“Having completed 18 months of intense inquiry, engagement and analysis, we urge the Government to consider the findings and act on the recommendations.”
Masjid Al-Noor mosque Imam Gamal Fouda thanked the commission on Tuesday for the sensitivity shown to participants in the inquiry and for producing a thorough and robust report.
“We need to take some time to talk to communities across New Zealand to gather their thoughts on the recommendations to ensure that their implementation will rebuild trust and make a real difference,” he said.
More to come
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