Next phase of LynnMall terror attack inquest to begin

The next phase of the coronial inquest into the 2021 LynnMall shopping centre attack is set to start in Auckland on Monday.

Ahamed Samsudeen was shot dead by police after stabbing shoppers at the Woolworths supermarket in New Lynn, west Auckland.

He had taken a knife from the store's shelves and stabbed six people. Another person was injured trying to stop him.

Moments later, Samsudeen was dead after being shot 12 times by police.

The first phase of the coronial inquest took place in 2025, examining the day of the attack.

Survivors gave evidence, sharing their experiences and the impact the attack had had on them in the years since.

Phases two and three of the inquest, before Coroner Marcus Elliot, will look at the months leading up to the attack following Samsudeen's release from prison.

The coroner was also expected to go over Samsudeen's path to extremism.

Corrections and Police staff were set to give evidence.

Samsudeen had been monitored since 2015 and was arrested at Auckland Airport in 2017 for allegedly expressing his intent to join Islamic State. He spent the next four years in prison.

His refugee status was cancelled in 2019, but he still qualified as a 'protected person' under the Immigration Act, and authorities could not deport him or hold him in custody after he was released from prison in 2021.

In the months before the attack, Samsudeen lived at a mosque as he tried to reintegrate into the community.

The mosque was chosen for its positive relationship with the police, and its chair provided regular updates on Samsudeen's progress.

Police also continued to surveil Samsudeen without his knowledge.