LynnMall attack: Security fears trumped mental health support

The Security Intelligence Service was calling the LynnMall knife attacker a terrorist for years, at the same time as courts were hearing he was a high, medium or even low-risk threat, RNZ reports. Muslim leaders say the lack of state help, contrasted with a surfeit of surveillance and warnings, show that security fears won out over any attempt to deal with Samsudeen’s diagnosed mental health problems. Criminologist Dr Clarke Jones, who prepared a rehab plan for Samsudeen in 2018 that was not enacted, said this showed bias common to Western security agencies.