Fourteen arrested in anti-terrorist swoop (NZ News)

NZPA ^ | October 15 2007 | NZPA

[DieHard the Hunter]

Monday October 15, 03:04 PM

Fourteen arrested in anti-terrorist swoop

At least fourteen people are due to appear in court and further arrests are imminent following a nation-wide police swoop this morning targeting Maori and political activists.

The raids were done under the Terrorism Suppression Act and Firearms Act.

Police began executing search warrants throughout the country early this morning.

Maori activist Tame Iti is among those arrested.

Police Commissioner Howard Broad said the sting was the culmination of a year-long investigation into weapons training camps alleged to have been held in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

While those arrested today have been charged under the Firearms Act, further charges under the Terrorism Suppression Act would be considered, he said.

Under the Act, consent of the Attorney General is required before any prosecution can take place.

Search warrants were carried out in Whakatane, in nearby Ruatoki, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Palmerston North and Hamilton.

Mr Broad said firearms had been seized as a result of the searches.

He told a media conference today the raids, understood to have targeted Maori, environmental and political activists, had been done to minimise risk to lives and property.

Over the course of a year-long investigation, police had become aware weapons training camps had been held in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

The numbers of people attending the camps had been in the "tens", he said.

"I believe it's prudent action that I have authorised in keeping with the interests of public safety."

The people involved had been of varying ethnicities, with a raft of different "motivations" for attending.

Training involved the use of firearms and other weapons for "military-style" activity.

Mr Broad said the activity was domestically oriented and there was no evidence of any international connection.

He would not comment on whether any specific threat had been made.

Prime Minister Helen Clark was briefed last week on the impending raids.

As of midday today, there had been 14 arrests, but a number of people were still being interviewed by police.

The operation marks the first time police have acted under the Terrorism Suppression Act, which came into force in 2002.

When asked if he thought police had identified all the people involved with the training camps, Mr Broad said he was "reasonably confident" police knew what the group had been doing.

Not everybody who attended the camps would be charged, as not all had necessarily committed an offence.

Some of the arrested people, including Mr Iti, will appear in court this afternoon.

[DieHard the Hunter]

The objectives of this group are not clear as yet -- I am continuing to monitor.

[DieHard the Hunter]

Ping for your Threat Matrix

[Squantos]

I’ve seen this guys show on TLC.......NZ Ink !....:o)

http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/56071227.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF193CC300C081D9F47008946EE12E420E2F936D1F4E6FB3CCF49A55A1E4F32AD3138

Does your country have lots of trouble with that tribe ?

[DieHard the Hunter]

> I’ve seen this guys show on TLC.......NZ Ink !....:o)

I’m guessing it’s Tama Iti — the guy with the full facial moko (tattoo).

> http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/56071227.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF193CC300C081D9F47008946EE12E420E2F936D1F4E6FB3CCF49A55A1E4F32AD3138

Can’t seem to make that link work for some reason. Dang.

> Does your country have lots of trouble with that tribe ?

It is difficult to speak in generalities, and thus there is inaccuracy and potential for unfairness. But I’ll try to answer the question properly:

In general, Maori are friendly, law-abiding and positive contributors to New Zealand society. They have a very, very rich and interesting Culture (for those who bother to learn about it: I’ve tried to make it my business to do so) and most Maori do not cause trouble.

There are a disproportionately large number of Maori in gaol, and there is a criminal sub-class that largely comprise Maori members.

And there are radicals amongst Maori who feel aggrieved and who choose to redress their grievances outside the established, agreed channels (the Waitangi Tribunal, Parliament and the courts).

It would be unfair to say that any particular iwi (tribe) causes trouble because it isn’t so. There are individuals who do.

Tama Iti is a Maori protestor who tends toward radical behaviors that have landed him in court facing charges a few times. I am not surprised by his presence at this camp. I will be surprised if he faces serious criminal charges, and stunned if he is convicted of them: he is probably delighted to have been arrested, but for the most part he is all about getting attention and being loud and noisy. I doubt he was up to any serious mischief.

Naturally, I could easily be proven wrong: time will tell!

[Squantos]

Understand.... Most of our troubles relating to racism are a bunch of self serving profiteers that abuse their race vs trying to help it. Just my opinion of course !

I will try and post the pic for ya ....I don't like to link w/o permission thus reason I only posted the text of the link initially.....

Thanks for the local lesson ! Stay safe !

[DieHard the Hunter]

Yup, that’s Tama Iti. I have met him once, and outside the protestor context he is a likeable enough fellow.

That full-facial moko would have hurt. It would have hurt even more if it had been done in the traditional manner: with little chisels made out of rats’ teeth. Those sorts of Moko have quite alot of texture to them because they are as much scar tissue as they are a tattoo.

Looking at his, I would guess it was made with a modern tattoo needle.

Still, it would have taken alot of guts to have that Moko: Tama Iti would have sat there, without anaesthetic, and without making a sound. That takes guts.

[Squantos]

Yep......tattoo’s or as ya call em there moko’s ? Are right painful in certain areas of the body.....Worked with a senior chief in EOD that had a happy face tattooed on the end of ummmm ....Mr Happy !

When troops would complain that they were hurt or couldn’t go on he wag Mr Happy at em. Rumor has it he passed out drunk in a PI Bar and his troops purchased the Moko for him without his knowledge......

That would have been one painful hangover to get over !

[null and void]

ping

[SmoothTalker]

Those wacky Baptists again?

[happinesswithoutpeace]

bkmarked for later.

[AlaskaErik]

The raids were done under the Terrorism Suppression Act and Firearms Act.

Nice linkage between terrorism and firearms. Our own DemocRATS must be envious.

[SunkenCiv]

Ping!

[DieHard the Hunter]

> When troops would complain that they were hurt or couldn’t go on he wag Mr Happy at em. Rumor has it he passed out drunk in a PI Bar and his troops purchased the Moko for him without his knowledge......

Crikey! I can’t hardly imagine how much that must have smarted! Never heard of Te Moko meaning anything other than a facial tattoo, but when I think about it hard enough, having the term used to refer to a tattoo applied to Mr Williamson kind of makes an eminent amount of sense.

[Fred Nerks]

there’s gotta be a muzzie in there somewhere...

[DieHard the Hunter]

> Nice linkage between terrorism and firearms. Our own DemocRATS must be envious.

It is rather tidy. In NZ, if you want to become a “Citizen Soldier” as you would understand the term in the US, you enlist and train as a member of the Territorials: your equivalent would be the National Guard. Still falling under military law and military command.

Because we have neither a formal Constitution or an equivalent of your Second Amendment, any armed paramilitary initiative by Citizens that fall outside of the ambit of the Territorials and the Armed Forces would (logically) be viewed as armed insurrection and prosecuted accordingly.

It is a world view that differs very much from the one you are accustomed to in the US.

(and no, I’m not making comment on whether I think this is a good thing or no: I’m merely observing that this is how things work DownUnder. I suspect it works similarly in Australia.)

*DieHard*

[null and void]

Because we have neither a formal Constitution or an equivalent of your Second Amendment

OK, what serves as 'the Supreme Law of the Land'? Is there even a fixed standard, or is your entire body of law an ad hoc collection of rules? What keeps Hellen in check?

[SunkenCiv]

Not for long. :’)

[DieHard the Hunter]

> OK, what serves as ‘the Supreme Law of the Land’? Is there even a fixed standard, or is your entire body of law an ad hoc collection of rules?

Yes — it is the latter.

> What keeps Hellen in check?

Only the Supreme Court, and there are limits to what they can do. Essentially, very little keeps Helen in check.

[null and void]

Essentially, very little keeps Helen in check.

*ouch*

[null and void]

Tell ya what, you can have our Constitution.

We’re not using it...