Jordan Dunn: Newstalk ZB reporter on the coronal inquest into the 2021 New Lynn attack

A closed court has seen graphic video of a 2021 terrorist attack in Auckland at New Lynn Countdown. 

A coronal inquest began today into the stabbing of six people at the supermarket.

Officers monitored Sri Lankan Islamic State supporter, Ahamed Samsudeen - then shot him dead.

Newstalk ZB's Jordan Dunn has been at the inquest.

He says police revealed why they didn't originally follow the 35-year old into the store. 

"They didn't think it was a target-rich environment, which essentially means that they knew he was capable of carrying out an attack. They thought if he were to do that, that it would be in a more densely populated area."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Togever Do to see Alan the coroner's in question to
the terror attack at Auckland's Newland supermarket started today. Now,
if you remember all the way back in twenty twenty one,
six people were injured in the knife attack by the
Islamic State supporter Ahmed Sumsidin. He was shot shortly after
by undercover police who were survailing him. Now, Jordan Done
is our reporter in court today. Hey Jordan, Hey, Ether

(00:20):
were you in court when the video was played?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah? I was. There was some rather graphic footage that
showed the attack itself. In the countdown. Now, I'm not
going to go into too much detail, but we do
see him shopping for you know, most of this fifteen
minute footage, and it's only in really those last few
minutes where we see him. He takes a red glove
out of his pocket, he puts it on his right hand.
He then takes a knife off of one of the displays.

(00:45):
He then unpackages it and begins attacking people. And it
takes you know, some people some time to react there,
obviously in quite some shock. And then we see some
of the other shoppers trying to intervene push Cholley's against him,
throw cands of tuna and then even get some metal
bollards to try and at bay and that's until the
police come. There's kind of a confrontation allowed confrontation between
the two where we kind of see him moving forward

(01:08):
and back, and that's when he's shot and falls to
the ground.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
Police explained. Have police explained rather how this happened while
he was supposed to be under surveillance.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Yeah, Well, that's kind of going to be a big
part of the next two weeks and even the other
two phases that are going to be later this year
and even at the start of next year, because there
were several reports and several investigations into what happened. And
then that includes on the surveilling offices. Now they knew
everything that Subsiden was doing up until the point that
he went into the countdown, and they were doing regular

(01:42):
surveillance reports on this as well. Now, the reason they
didn't exactly go into the countdown is because they didn't
really deem it to be a suspicious act of Subsiden.
He was a regular shopper there. They knew that, they
were aware of all the exits were at Countdown, and
they didn't think it was a target rich environment, which
essentially means that they knew he was capable of carrying

(02:03):
out an attack. They thought if you were to do that,
that it would be in a more densely populated area.
They also know that something was paranoid, and there was
the potential that he was suspicious about being surveiled, and
so they didn't really want to tap him off by
I suppose, over exerting that surveillance. Now the coroner is

(02:23):
accepting all of these findings, he's not going to challenge them,
but he does note that that doesn't mean there isn't
room for lessons to be learnt. There are still things
that could have changed, that potentially could have happened, and
that is what this entire hearing and in quest is about.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
Jordan's good to talk to you, Thanks for filling us
and Jordan Dunn Newstalk said Bes Reporter.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
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