A Nelson man with no ties to any extremist group, and who poses no apparent threat to anyone, will continue to be monitored by the GCSB “just in case,” says Prime Minister John Key, who sees no immediate reason to remove him from the New Zealand terror watchlist.
In the wake of the recent Paris terror attacks, Key has been attempting to reassure the public that their lives are not at risk, as he claims the GCSB is closely monitoring around 40 individuals with known ties to extremism, as well as one individual who has no known ties to extremism, and who has not exhibited any suspicious behaviour.
“You could, if you like, think of it as a kind of control group,” said the Prime Minister. “But also, you never know.”
The man, who may be a woman, and whose name cannot be disclosed for national security reasons, but potentially also because they’ll find the camera hidden in their bathroom ceiling fan, is believed to be in his or her 20s, and may have once googled “ISIS”, or a word containing similar letters.
Key explained today that, as a result of credible intelligence reports, the GCSB had been full-time monitoring one less individual than it had the capacity to.
“So, naturally, you’re going to want to watch one more, just in case.”
He noted that no terrorist shows any signs of suspicious behaviour “until they do,” and that every extremist “has to get started somewhere.”
“You never know,” he added. “It could be tomorrow.”
New Zealand intelligence officials believe that, between the bleach in his kitchen cupboard, the strings and wires in his garage, his 6-year-old vacuum cleaner and the Macleans Fresh Mint toothpaste he bought this morning at Countdown for $2.29, the man technically possesses the materials to make a bomb.
He may also develop the motivation, they said, as things had been going “pretty poorly” with his girlfriend lately.