Lynnmall terror attack survivor tells inquest of ongoing trauma

Warning: This story discusses graphic details of the attack.

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.

"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.

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.

'He appeared to be very calm'

About a dozen witness statements of the terror attack have been read out as a evidence at the inquest - with multiple witnesses reporting that they heard Samsudeen shouting "Allahu Akbar" (translated as Allah is great/greater) and appearing calm during his attack on shoppers.

Detective Senior Sergeant Jason McIntosh, who is the second officer in charge of Operation Rally, said they are among more 41 witnesses interviewed during the investigation.

One witness reported that he heard Samsudeen saying "Allahu Akbar" loudly before he began to stab a woman in the stomach.

"He appeared to be very calm while doing this," the statement read.

The witness said Samsudeen then turned to look for other people to attack and the sound of "Allahu Akbar" got louder and louder.

Another witness reported that he heard Samsudeen shout "Allahu Akbar" three times while holding the knife above his head as he walked towards a victim.

One witness reported hearing Samsudeen say: "Call the police you f******* pakehas".

Another witness said Samsudeen appeared to be calm as he stabbed an elderly male: "What I mean by calm is he was so casual".

CCTV footage of Samsudeen's path to the Lynnmall shown to inquest

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.

CCTV footage of Samsudeen's knife attack on shoppers played during inquest

The courtroom fell silent as CCTV footage of the full attack on shoppers inside Woolworths New Lynn was played, in a session that was closed to the public.

Survivors, lawyers and the media were given access to view the footage.

Samusdeen entered the LynnMall Countdown shortly before 2.30pm.

He took a trolley, which he wheeled up and down the aisles, passing a display of kitchenware before doubling back and putting a large knife in his cart.

He meanders through the supermarket before stopping to remove a single red glove from his pocket.

Samsudeen puts the glove on his right hand and reaches for the knife, tearing it from its packaging and flourishing the blade in a figure-eight pattern before he breaks into a sprint towards his first victim.

He grabs the man by his shoulder and stabs him twice, then turns to a woman - his next target.

Over the next three minutes, five people are seriously wounded, a sixth grazed and a seventh injured while trying to stop the rampage.

Some shoppers flee, others run to help the wounded victims and a brave few try to distract Samsudeen until police arrive.

CCTV footage of officers confronting Samsudeen shown at inquest

A separate piece of CCTV footage was later played showing two police officers from the special tactics group arriving at the supermarket within minutes of the attack.

The two officers are seen rushing to the aisle to confront Samsudeen.

The footage shows Samsudeen initially walking a number of steps towards the officers with a knife held high in this right hand, before appearing to step back, backing onto a set of shelves.

He is then seen faltering forwards, with the knife at waist level.

Counsel representing police Alysha McClintock, when presenting the evidence, said due to the inadequate quality of the video and the lack of audio to the CCTV footage, it is not possible to determine when exactly the shots were fired.

An audio later played in court on Wednesday afternoon captured the sound of a quick succession of gunshots fired at Samsudeen by the officers.

Earlier when coroner Marcus Elliott opened the inquest, he said the inquest will not be revisiting the conclusion of the Independent Police Conduct Authority that earlier found the 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 that there is nothing to learn, and said that the inquest will discuss recommendations.

Elliott said the central issues for the inquest is what Samsudeen did in New Zealand, his actions on the day of the attack, whether various factors contributed to him being radicalised, and whether any steps government agencies could've taken could've diverted him from his path to violent extremism.

CCTV footage shows Samsudeen browsing knives aisle at supermarket a month before attack

The inquest has also been shown a video compilation of CCTV footage showing Samsudeen's visit to the New Lynn Woolworths about a month before the attack.

The 18-minute video showed Samsudeen entering the supermarket and putting a range of items into his trolley as he browsed the aisles, including tea, lemon biscuits and chips.

At one point he walked to the knives aisle and appeared to take special notice of the items on the shelves.

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