Latest news with #NewLynn
RNZ News
5 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
New Lynn stabbing attack survivors give evidence at inquest
Samsudeen stabbed five people and injured two others at New Lynn Countdown nearly four years ago, when the city was in lockdown. Two survivors, considered heroes, described to the coroner how they tried to stop him stabbing others before police arrived. Amy Williams was at the inquest and filed this report. A warning, her report contains distressing details.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
LynnMall stabbing inquest hears emotional testimony from brave hero who aided victims
Ahamed Samsudeen coming out of the New Lynn train station, on the day of the attack on in September 2021. Photo: Supplied Two civilians, who'd earlier been awarded bravery medals for their courageous acts during the LynnMall terror attack in 2021, have given emotional testimonies at the inquest of Ahamed Samsudeen - with one of them sharing that they told Samsudeen on the day of the attack, "Your God does not condone this". Samsudeen stabbed five people, and injured two others at a Countdown supermarket in Auckland's New Lynn, before he was shot and killed by police. Michael Andrews held back tears as he recounted the events of 3 September 2021, particularly when he spoke of seeing the injured survivors. Andrews said he heard Samsudeen say to himself "Allahu Akbar" three or four times as he crouched over a victim. Andrews said he told Samsudeen his actions were wrong. "I firmly stated 'Your God does not condone this', before I yelled at him," he said. Michael Andrews, who awareded a New Zealand Bravery Medal for his actions following the mass stabbing, giving witness testimony on Friday. Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi Andrews said he was within 1.5 metres of Samsudeen, who subsequently came toward him with the knife. "He swung his knife aggressively towards me and with much more energy than when he had been stabbing and cutting [survivor] on the ground. "He went from zero to a hundred quickly and moved towards me to attack me," Andrews recalled. Andrews said he ran away and grabbed a metal pole for protection. He said he held the pole toward Samsudeen as the attacker continued to swing the knife toward him. Andrews said another shopper yelled at Samsudeen, eventually distracting him away. Andrews was emotional as he spoke of seeing an injured survivor on the ground. He said he'd asked another shopper to hold the hand of the survivor to keep her conscious, as he went to apply pressure to the wounds of another survivor. Off-duty paramedic Ross Tomlinson was another civilian who attempted to distract Samsudeen and stop him from attacking others. Tomlinson said he witnessed Samsudeen stabbing a person and told him to drop his weapon. He told the inquest he was then approached by Samsudeen. "I told Mr Samsudeen several times to drop the knife. He didn't respond and kept coming towards me. "He didn't run but was pacing towards me. His breathing was heavy with a deranged look on his face. "It was neither happy nor angry, but deranged or manic." Ross Tomlinson during his evidence into the inquest of Ahamed Samsudeen. Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi Tomlinson said Samsudeen was slashing his knife in the air and was saying with a raised voice, "Allahu Akbar". He said several other civilians were also trying to distract Samsudeen and asked him to put down the knife, before the two plain-clothed police officers arrived. Tomlinson said both officers had ordered Samsudeen to put down his knife before they shot him. "The commands from them were really, really clear. People from behind scattered when they were told to get out of the way. "There is in no world where he didn't hear that command very clearly, repeated and was given every opportunity to drop that weapon. He didn't do so. "As a matter of fact, they (the police) acted in my best interests to save my life. [It's] worth stating that those commands were very, very clear and he was afforded every opportunity to stop this violence," he said. Under questioning by a lawyer Anna Adams assisting the Coroner, Tomlinson said the two officers were the first to attend to Samsudeen after they shot him. He said he also unpacked some nappies from the shelves for helping with Samsudeen's wounds - however based on more than 10 years of experience as a paramedic, he felt Samsudeen couldn't have been saved. Tomlinson said he observed signs of "agonal breathing" from Samsudeen, which he said happens with people who are having a cardiac arrest or some form of internal haemorrhaging. He said Samsudeen's breathing quickly stopped and he believed that there was not much one could do to save him, and even life support may not have worked. Earlier when Coroner Marcus Elliott opened the inquest, he said it would not be revisiting the conclusion of the Independent Police Conduct Authority finding that two officers were legally justified in shooting Samsudeen, and that the surveillance officer who decided not to follow Samsudeen into the supermarket initially, had acted reasonably. However, he said that does not mean there was nothing to learn from the attack, and the inquest would discuss recommendations. More to come... Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
New Lynn stabbing attack: Supermarket visits 'insurmountable obstacle', inquest told
Ahamed Samsudeen coming out of the New Lynn train station, on the day of the attack on September 3, 2021. Photo: Supplied Content warning: This report contains content some may consider disturbing. The inquest into the LynnMall terror attack will see further analysis of video showing how the assault unfolded, when it resumes on Thursday. Ahamed Samsudeen stabbed five people and injured two others at a Woolworths supermarket in Auckland's New Lynn, before he was shot and killed by police. Survivors at the inquest on Wednesday watched a video of Ahamed Samsudeen pausing to put on a red glove inside the supermarket . He was then seen ripping a knife from its packaging and rushing at his first victim. What happened next scarred survivors physically and emotionally. One survivor, who had name suppression, told the inquest just how much of an impact the attack had on her. "For some, the mere thought of entering a supermarket has become an insurmountable obstacle," she said. "We are no longer the individuals we used to be, and coming to terms with this reality is profoundly difficult." Samsudeen's rampage ended after he was shot 12 times by police. He had been granted refugee status in 2013, was identified by the SIS as a terrorist threat in early 2017, and was under surveillance at the time of the attack on 3 September, 2021. Detective Senior Sergeant Jason McIntosh told the inquest about the moment authorities noticed a change in his social media posting. "Recent content continues to reference Jannah, in brackets 'afterlife', and death, he's referenced literature on lone wolf terrorism" McIntosh said. "Samsudeen has begun to increasingly include his own commentary when posting, which may assist with understanding his mindset going forward." The inquest was shown footage of Samsudeen's previous trip to the supermarket - roughly a month before the attack. He could be seen walking to the knives aisle, appearing to take special notice of the items on the shelves. McIntosh was questioned by police counsel Alysha McClintock over Samsudeen's movements in the time leading up to the attack, as recorded in surveillance logs. "Once it was understood that Mr Samsudeen had visited the New Lynn Countdown previously on the 12th of August, the footage we've just seen, was there subsequently by one of your colleagues, an endeavour to go through the surveillance logs and look at the locations that might have had knifes and or other weapons that Mr Samsudeen had visited," McClintock asked. "Correct, yes" McIntosh replied. The logs revealed Samsudeen made about 119 visits to more than 60 different locations that could have had knives or other weapons. The lawyer representing the interests of Samsudeen's family, Fletcher Pilditch, asked McIntosh about the police surveillance of Samsudeen. "Was it the observations that had been made and recorded by the surveillance team that enabled you after the 3rd of September to then go and identify other places where he had been? "And I don't need to pry into where that information came from, I was just interested in the source of it," Pilditch said. "I do know that we compiled a list post investigation," McIntosh responded. The inquest was expected on Thursday to go through a frame-by-frame analysis of CCTV footage from the attack, as well as hearing technical evidence later in the day.
RNZ News
7 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Lynnmall terror attack survivor tells inquest of ongoing trauma
A survivor of the Lynnmall terror attack, nearly four years ago, broke down in tears as she told the inquest into the death of Ahamed Samsudeen of the physical and emotional scars that continue to take a toll on their everyday lives. Samsudeen stabbed five people, and injured two others at a Woolworths supermarket in Auckland's New Lynn, before he was shot and killed by police. He had been granted refugee status in 2013, was identified by the SIS as a terrorist threat in early 2017, and was under surveillance at the time of the attack. Phase one of a five-week inquest delving into the events of 3 September, 2021 and Samsudeen's path to extremism, and the management of him in the community, has commenced at a coroner's court on Wednesday. A survivor, who has name suppression, told the inquest that simple triggers like the smell of milk, the sound of screaming, or the wail of sirens can abruptly transport them back to that terrifying moment. Ahamed Samsudeen visiting the New Lynn Woolworths about a month prior to the attack. Photo: Supplied "For some the mere thought of entering a supermarket has become an insurmountable obstacle and a stark reminder of the trauma we continue to endure," she said through tears. She said seemingly ordinary experiences can leave them feeling emotionally drained and unable to lead the lives they once did. "We find ourselves in a constant state of high alert, caught in a relentless cycle of fight flight or freeze, this heightened awareness is an exhausting burden that complicates our ability to navigate everyday life," she said. Photo: 2021 Getty Images She said many survivors still suffer pain and long term nerve damage to their faces, legs and arms, and while some have received formal post-traumatic stress disorder diagnoses through ACC, others who witnessed the violence and had intervened to help others have been left behind and are not being supported financially to address their trauma - "All of those bills come at a cost to the innocent," she said. The survivor said their group want to seek answers through this inquest around the circumstances that allowed the terror attack to unfold. She added that it's also their right to question why meaningful change to implement legal changes to protect New Zealanders from people who posed a security threat, like Samsudeen, took so long to implement. She said by comparison, the government's swift legislative changes to gun laws following the 2019 Christchurch Mosque attacks showed that it's possible to act swiftly in the aftermath to an act of violence. The survivor said she felt the government failed to give the same level of urgency and consideration in its response to the Lynnmall terror attack. Ahamed Samsudeen coming out of the New Lynn train station, on the day of the attack on September 3, 2021. Photo: Supplied An extended CCTV compilation video capturing Samsudeen's journey to Lynnmall on 3 September, 2021, has been played to the inquest. The videos captured Samsudeen as he walked from the mosque in West Auckland where he stayed to a local dairy, before boarding a train that took him to the New Lynn train station. Samsudeen is seen wearing a camouflage hoody with the word "legacy" printed on the front, and a pair of matching camouflage pants. CCTV footage also captured Samsudeen waiting outside Woolworths New Lynn in a queue, keeping social distancing as it was during the Covid-lockdown period.
RNZ News
12-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Auckland measles case: New locations of interest include chemist, second supermarket
File photo. Photo: RNZ /Dom Thomas An Auckland pharmacy and a second supermarket have been named as places a recent case of measles visited while infectious. Health NZ Te Whatu Ora said yesterday that a case of measles had been identified in Auckland, and named several locations of interest, including multiple ferry journeys and a West Auckland supermarket. In a statement this afternoon, Health NZ revealed more places the person with measles had visited while infectious. The details of the new locations are the Unichem pharmacy in New Lynn on 7 May between 9am and 10.30am, and the Mount Albert Pak n Save on 7 May between 10am and 11.45am Anyone who was at these locations at these times need to check they have immunity to measles, said Health NZ. - more to come
