The Prime Minister is “scaremongering” with details of threatening Kiwis wanting to commit a terrorist attack in New Zealand, says Opposition leader Andrew Little.
John Key spoke on Tuesday of several New Zealanders under 24-hour surveillance with links to Islamic State, who want to commit a terrorist attack on Kiwis.
About 40 people are being monitored in New Zealand for their ties to Isis but the most threatening are under constant watch, which means they’re unlikely to be able to get anywhere near executing a terrorist attack, said Key.
John Key ‘scaremongering’ with details of security threats: Andrew Little
The Prime Minister is “scaremongering” with details of threatening Kiwis wanting to commit a terrorist attack in New Zealand, says Opposition leader Andrew Little.
John Key spoke on Tuesday of several New Zealanders under 24-hour surveillance with links to Islamic State, who want to commit a terrorist attack on Kiwis.
About 40 people are being monitored in New Zealand for their ties to Isis but the most threatening are under constant watch, which means they’re unlikely to be able to get anywhere near executing a terrorist attack, said Key.
“There’s no question about what their motivations are and that’s the tragedy of the Isis story is that you get some very dysfunctional people, for want of a better term, who want to associate themselves with Isis,” he told Radio NZ.
Those individuals under 24-hour surveillance are being watched both physically and electronically.
But Little said Key was being “reckless” divulging details about the individuals being monitored, given the threat to New Zealand’s security is unchanged.
“It seems to me the Prime Minister’s blabbing away like this is potentially compromising the security of New Zealanders,” he said.
Little said even after last week’s terrorist attacks on Paris, the threat to New Zealand’s security is unchanged.
“The Prime Minister needs to be a little bit careful about giving the appearance of, frankly, scaremongering, because that’s not helpful.”
“There’s always people who can engage in destructive behaviours who ought to be monitored and are being monitored but clearly the lack of change in threat levels suggest the real threat they pose is much less,” Little said.
Most of those being monitored in New Zealand are on the Isis “periphery” by trying to raise money for the terrorist group, trying to go there to fight or actively engaging through social media, Key said.
Some Kiwis are “literally fighting in Syria as foreign fighters and certainly those people are likely to be in very constant review of Isis’s propaganda that they put on the Internet,” he said.
The Government committed Kiwi troops to help train members of the Iraqi Security Force for two years and Key said that hasn’t changed.
“The point is, do we want to be there forever or risk that we get stuck there forever? It’s quite a commitment – it’s well over 100 people, it costs a lot and we’re making a difference but I think at some point we should really come and go from that scenario,” he said.
Unlike the United States and France who have air strike capabilities – New Zealand’s options to assist in Iraq were limited.
“On the military front we’re not looking to do anything different so there’s no papers floating around and there’s no work happening as far as I’m aware. There’s no intention to move beyond where we’re at because where we’re at is a pretty decent contribution and I think recognised as such.”
While several of those being monitored are “threatening individuals” Key said people should have confidence in the fact they’re under constant supervision.
“My concern always is not about the people we know about but the ones we don’t know about and that’s what we’ve seen in Paris with the tragedies there,” he told Radio NZ.
He said while some Kiwis are actively raising money for Isis they hadn’t been charged “because it’s not clear cut when you get to court”.
Key said stories changed and the advice he received was that there had to be “absolute firm evidence before taking them to court”.
“We do everything that we can, if we can take a successful prosecution we will.”
He said a lot of the individuals weren’t aware they were being monitored, “and if we do ultimately bring that to their attention then who knows where that goes”.
