,,, how about this bay? It's close enough to where I am.
http://nzphoto.tripod.com/scenery/SceneryPhoto/PohutukawaBay.JPG
Posted on 12/12/2002 12:58:00 PM PST by shaggy eel
A man has been detained in the most secure unit of Auckland's maximum security prison while authorities try to establish if he is wanted internationally for terrorist activities.
Ahmed Zaoui, who arrived in New Zealand this week, is understood to have the same name as an Algerian national, sentenced to death by his country after being found guilty of acts of terrorism.
He arrived at Paremoremo prison yesterday under a heavy police escort.
It is understood a police helicopter was used to monitor the man's transfer to the prison.
Immigration Minister Lianne Daziell said last night she could not confirm any details except a man was being detained under the Immigration Act, which gives the Government power to hold him for 28 days.
"We have security concerns and investigations are proceeding," she said.
When asked to elaborate on what level her concerns were, the Minister said: "They are of sufficient concern."
Airport authorities say they have no record of a man with the terrorist's name entering New Zealand in the past few days.
But it is understood the man was travelling on South African documentation, some of which he shredded on the aircraft before landing in New Zealand.
The man detained in Paremoremo has the same name as the man who fronted the Algerian Islamic Salvation front (FIS) and is labelled a "prominent person" on the British Home Office website of asylum seekers.
He was sentenced to death in the mid-1990s by an Algeria court for supplying weapons from Europe to guerrillas in Algeria, and was exiled to Burkina Faso, a west-African country that borders Niger and Ghana.
His group was largely blamed for massacres of civilians in Algeria. In 1997 he went to Switzerland requested asylum.
Last year media reports out of Vancouver, British Columbia linked the man to Osama bin Laden's secret army in Southeast Asia.
The Asian Post reported a previously unidentified group called FIDA or Sacrifice was currently being investigated in Malaysia, and that the frontman, with the same name as that of the man believed to be being held in New Zealand, worked closely with FIDA affiliates in Switzerland and the United States.
The FIDA is linked to a coalition of Islamic groups that the Asian Post reported were being investigated for links to the September 11 bombings.
The lawyer for the man being held in Paremoremo could not be contacted last night.
Immigration Department spokesman Ian Smith said he was not aware of the man.
"Normally if there was anything untoward they would let me know and I haven't heard anything."
Anyone told to leave New Zealand by the Immigration Service can appeal against the decision to the Removal Review Authority, which is independent of the New Zealand Immigration Service.
To appeal successfully applicants need to prove that there are exceptional humanitarian reasons not to have to leave New Zealand. Applicants also need to prove that if they are allowed to stay it would not be contrary to the interests of New Zealand people.
For an appeal to be accepted by the Removal Review Authority applicants must not be unlawfully in New Zealand because they are "a person in respect of whom a security risk certificate has been confirmed by the Minister of Immigration" according to the Immigration Act.
Since the September 11 attacks on the United States last year, the Government has passed several tough anti-terrorism measures.
The Terrorism Suppression Act has been strengthened to make it a criminal offence to take part in, finance or recruit for a terrorist organisation.
The Government committed an extra $30 million over three years to agencies involved in counter-terrorism and border protection. The measures included:
Stronger aviation security measures and tougher border protection by Customs, Immigration, and the police.
Increased capacity to collect and evaluate foreign and domestic intelligence.
Appointing police liaison officers in London and Washington, and establishing an intelligence unit within the police force dedicated to counter-terrorism.
Just yesterday we read this:
KN - here's a site in Dutch containing his name.
Who exiled him? I doubt if Algeria would have, after sentencing him to death.
What airline? It would be nice to know.
,,, the three well known concentrations in New Zealand for this sort of crowd are the Coromandel Peninsula, most of the North Island's East Coast and the Motueka/Golden Bay/Nelson areas at the top of the South Island. As well as enjoying a good climate, these areas are known to have less law enforcement as well as less chance of employment - that guarantees access to blessings from a state of the art welfare system.
,,, how about this bay? It's close enough to where I am.
http://nzphoto.tripod.com/scenery/SceneryPhoto/PohutukawaBay.JPG
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.