New Zealand's first military espionage conviction in country's history linked to deadly terrorist attack on Christchurch mosques: How big was the conspiracy? Details here
He wasn't speaking to a foreign agent, but an undercover New Zealand police officer collecting intelligence on alleged right-wing extremist groups, documents supplied by the military court showed. The soldier came to law enforcement attention as part of an operation that was established after a March 2019 terrorist attack on two mosques in the city of Christchurch, when an Australian white supremacist opened fire on Muslim worshipers, killing 51.
Officers spoke to the man twice about his involvement in a group, court documents showed, and after the government became aware he had expressed a desire to defect he was contacted by the undercover officer.
When the soldier's hard drive was searched, investigators found a copy of Christchurch gunman Brenton Tarrant's livestreamed video of his massacre and a manifesto document he published online before the killings. Possession of either without permission is a criminal offense in New Zealand and the soldier, who admitted that charge too, joins several others convicted in New Zealand of having or sharing the terrorist's banned material.
In a statement read to the court by his lawyer, the man said the two nationalist groups with which he was involved were 'no more than groups of friends with similar points of view to my own,' according to Radio New Zealand.
Live Events
The laywer, Steve Winter, added that his client denied supporting the Christchurch shooter's ideology, RNZ reported.
The soldier — who was based at Linton Military Camp near the city of Palmerston North — also pleaded guilty to accessing a military computer system for dishonest purposes. The amended suite of three charges replaced 17 counts levelled against him earlier in the proceedings.
Each of the three charges he admitted carries a maximum prison term of either seven or 10 years in New Zealand. His sentence was expected to be delivered by a military panel within days after Monday's conviction.
The man was due to stand trial by court martial on the charges before he admitted the offenses.
His was the first charge in a New Zealand military court for espionage or attempted spying. The last time such a case reached the civilian courts before was in 1975, when a public servant was acquitted on charges alleging he had passed information to Russian agents.
FAQs
Q1. When did espionage case reach New Zealand court prior to this?
A1. The last time such a case reached the civilian courts before was in 1975, when a public servant was acquitted on charges alleging he had passed information to Russian agents.
Q2. What do we know about New Zealand's first military espionage conviction?
A2. The convicted soldier — who was based at Linton Military Camp near the city of Palmerston North — also pleaded guilty to accessing a military computer system for dishonest purposes. The amended suite of three charges replaced 17 counts levelled against him earlier in the proceedings.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
9 minutes ago
- India.com
A Meeting That Isn't Likely To Happen: Why Putin Won't Sit Down With Zelensky – And Might Always Say No
Washington: Hopes for a direct meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dimmed this week despite signals from Washington that such a summit could be next. After a call between Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told reporters the two sides might consider 'raising the level of representatives' in future talks. He did not mention the leaders themselves, offering no sign Moscow is preparing for a face-to-face meeting. Speaking on state television, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow does not rule out talks in any format, but insisted top-level contacts require 'the utmost care' in preparation. The hesitation reflects Moscow's broader stance on the war. Russia recognised Donetsk and Luhansk as independent in 2022 and Putin has repeatedly argued Ukraine is historically and culturally inseparable from Russia. A meeting with Zelensky would force him to acknowledge Ukraine's independence, a step analysts say he is unwilling to take. Putin will have to accept the failure of sitting down with a president he considers a joke from a country that doesn't exist. And such a move could be hard to justify domestically. He has brainwashed Russians on state television that Zelensky is a Nazi, that Ukraine is a puppet state of the West, etc. He won't be able to justify his sudden talks with his Ukrainian counterpart. The Kremlin has also questioned Zelensky's mandate, pointing to postponed elections under martial law. A recent Russian 'peace' proposal required Ukraine to hold elections before any treaty. Russian officials rarely use Zelensky's name, referring instead to 'the Kyiv regime'. When Zelensky travelled to Turkey in May for direct talks, Putin stayed away and sent only a delegation led by a historian. Analysts say Putin sees little benefit in a leader-level meeting unless Ukraine is ready to make concessions. The Russian president's key demands include ceding territory still under Kyiv's control. For now, Zelensky has ruled out those terms. Putin views Trump as central to any breakthrough. The U.S. president is seen as an enabler of the Russian vision of the settlement and for that the United States is supposed to work with Kyiv to push them to be more flexible and open to Russian demands. Putin will not risk the optics of a failed summit with Zelensky. Trump, meanwhile, told supporters he had 'begun the arrangements' for a Putin-Zelensky meeting. By the next morning, his tone shifted on Fox News. 'I sort of set it up with Putin and Zelensky, and you know, they are the ones that have to call the shots. We are, we are 7,000 miles away,' he said. Putin shows no sign of compromise. He secured a summit with Trump in Alaska, avoided making concessions on a ceasefire and seen sanctions pressure falter. Russian forces escalated drone and missile strikes this week, launching 270 drones and 10 missiles on Monday night. With military pressure as his fallback, Putin still calculates leverage. The unanswered question in Washington and Moscow is if talks collapse again, who will Trump blame?
Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
Dhar admn seals Imambada, hands it over to PWD
Mhow: Dhar district administration sealed an Imambada on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday after getting it vacated and later handed it over to Public Works Department (PWD). A heavy police force was deployed in the town to prevent any untoward incident while the Imambada was being vacated and sealed. The Imambada, operated from a section of PWD building in Hatwara area of the town, had been under the possession of Tajiya committee for decades. Hindu organisations had contested that it was a govt-owned building meant for running cultural activities and should be available for all communities. The Tajiya committee argued that permission was granted for storing Tajiyas (tableaux). The action was taken following a complaint filed at the Dhar SDM court. The SDM court had ordered for the vacation of the premises. Challenging the order, the Tajiya committee had filed an appeal in Commissioner's revenue court, which also maintained the SDM court's order on Tuesday. Dhar SP Manoj Kumar Singh told TOI, "On the orders of the SDM court, the portion was vacated and handed over to PWD. Looking at the issue, additional police force was deployed in the area as well as the whole town to ensure that nothing untoward takes place. As far as the situation in Dhar is concerned, it is peaceful and fully under control, and the force will remain there round the clock." Abdul Samad, Sadar (head) of Muslim community, said that he was unaware of the action but claimed that a petition in this regard was filed in the Supreme Court. "I'm waiting for the hearing on my petition, which is expected on August 22 or 23," he added. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Deccan Herald
24 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
Russia has 'special mechanisms' to supply oil to India
Russia will continue supplying oil to India and the country's President Vladimir Putin will meet India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi by the end of year, a Russian embassy official in India said on Wednesday. Russia has a "very, very special mechanism" to continue oil supplies to India, Roman Babushkin, the charge d'affaires at the Russian embassy in India, told reporters at a press briefing, adding that India's crude oil imports from Russia will remain at the same level. No dates had been finalised for the Putin-Modi meeting yet, he said. The U.S. is set to impose an additional 25% tariff on Indian exports on August 28, citing their imports of Russian oil, which expanded after Western nations sanction Russian supply after its invasion of Ukraine. However, the U.S. has stopped short of imposing similar tariffs on China over its purchases of Russian oil. Last month, the European Union sanctioned Russian-backed Indian refinery Nayara Energy, leading the refiner to cut back processing and companies to curtail their trading with them. Trade between Indian and Russia was expected to grow 10% annually, Evgeniy Griva, Deputy Trade Representative of Russia to India said at the briefing.
