Australian expert of Egyptian origin to oversee New Zealand mosques attack

CAIRO - 28 May 2019: New Zealand's government chose Australian expert of Egyptian origin, Nick Kaldas, who was deputy police commissioner, from three experts to oversee the investigation into the New Zealand police response to the attack on the Christchurch mosques.

According to ABS channel on Monday, Kaldas is known for overseeing several international investigations, most notably the investigation by the International Court of Justice into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri and the UN investigation into the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government.

Kaldas is due to travel to New Zealand this week to start the investigation, which is expected to take months.

Kaldas will focus on the time spent by the police in responding to the warning, the weapons used by its agents, the way they dealt with the attacker, and other technical factors related to the mechanics of the New Zealand police during the incident.

On May 15, a gunman killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch while live streaming the attack on Facebook.

New Zealand’s Royal Commission inquiry will look into the suspected gunman’s activities, use of social media and international connections, as well as whether there was inappropriate priority settings in counter terrorism resources.

“The commission’s findings will help to ensure such an attack never happens here again,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement announcing a second commissioner to the investigation.

Some members of the Muslim community called for better communication about the investigation.