'Don't jump to conclusions' over 'domestic terror incident', warns expert

A security expert says we "shouldn't jump to conclusions" and assume a threat to carry out a domestic terrorist attack in New Zealand came from "some sort of jihadi".

The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, Cheryl Gwyn, has today released a report - The National Security System handbook - for the year ended June.

It shows the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) dealt with a domestic terrorist incident in New Zealand, although no further information on the incident was released.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister John Key's office would also not provide any further details about the incident.

"As the Prime Minister has said, New Zealand is not immune from the threat of terrorism, although the threat to New Zealand remains low," the spokesperson told NZME.

Former US intelligence adviser and security expert Paul Buchanan told Fairfax the Government "would have been wiser" to give some details about the terror threat to give them support for Parliament passing laws in 2014 allowing the SIS director to order urgent surveillance without going through the process for obtaining a warrant.

Buchanan believed they may be reluctant to comment further as they do not want to compromise the sources and methods that led to them preventing an attack.

He said many would assume it was related to "some sort of jihadi", but there were other possibilities.

"There are other people here - white supremacists, Maori sovereignty types, even animal rights activists - who conceivably could engage in acts of terrorism, so I wouldn't jump to conclusions."

Buchanan told Fairfax the most common "terrorist wannabe" in New Zealand was the "self-radicalised computer jockey" planning lone-wolf attacks online with information from the Islamic State (IS).

He told Fairfax our involvement on the war against IS put us "on their radar".

"Because we're on their radar scope we have to plan for the possibility that they will try to conduct or at least inspire an act of domestic terrorism - distance is no longer an impediment to conducting terrorist attacks."

The spokesperson for Prime Minister John Key's office told NZME that New Zealand's "intelligence agencies play an important role in identifying, monitoring and reacting to any domestic threats in order to keep New Zealanders safe, both at home and abroad".

"The Government has increased their resources to allow them to better carry out their duties as well as increased the level of transparency and oversight to ensure they are doing so appropriately."

Security and Intelligence Minister Chris Finlayson also would not comment on any details of the reported threat.

However, he told Fairfax: "These matters do occur and they are a cause of concern."

"I'm not being flippant, but these are very sensitive matters - in due course further information may come to light, but not yet," he added.

The role of the National Security System is to ensure the security and territorial integrity of the country and to address all significant risks to New Zealanders and the nation.

The Prime Minister chairs the committee which makes decisions and helps to coordinate a response to cases where there is a risk to "the security or safety of New Zealanders or people in New Zealand", the nation's sovereignty, reputation, international interests, economy, environment or "the effective functioning of the community".

In the report the factors for previously activating the system - which triggers a special set of protocols involving the Government - were listed and included the "threat of a domestic terrorist incident", as well as the following:

• Threat of 1080 contamination of infant formula;
• Ebola viral disease readiness and possible Ebola case;
• Neurological complications and birth defects possibly associated with Zika virus;
• Threat of a domestic terrorist incident;
• TS Rena grounding on Astrolabe Reef 2011;
• Darfield Earthquake 2010 and Christchurch Earthquake 2011.

Ms Gwyn's report showed the SIS has for the first time used its powers to authorise urgent surveillance without a warrant since Parliament passed the laws in 2014.

Surveillance without a warrant is allowed for 24 hours, and Ms Gwyn says in this case the warrant was issued within that time and the surveillance was not stopped.

Ms Gwyn reviewed the process and didn't have any problems with the way it was done.

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Ms Gwyn said that during the reporting year the SIS also notified her it had obtained a visual surveillance warrant, and that was also in order.

The SIS was given the urgent surveillance authority for occasions when it needed to immediately start spying on someone without going through the warrant application process.

Ms Gwynn also keeps an eye on the Government Communications Security Bureau and says in her report she reviewed 15 communications interception warrants to make sure they were in order.