A police officer outside Countdown, LynnMall, following a terrorist attack on 2 September, 2021 Photo: Getty Images
An inquest into the man who was shot dead after stabbing shoppers at the LynnMall in Auckland will be held next year.
Tuesday marks the third anniversary of the day Ahamed Samsudeen walked into the mall's Countdown supermarket and carried out a knife attack.
Samsudeen, who had recently been released from prison and was under active surveillance, was shot dead by police.
He seriously injured five people at the West Auckland supermarket, while a sixth person had minor injuries and another dislocated his shoulder trying to stop the attack.
Survivors, witnesses and Samsudeen's family asked the coroner for an inquest, saying although there was an inquiry held by agencies, the events of 3 September 2021 had not been aired publicly.
Coroner Marcus Elliott conducted a hearing in March to determine the scope and form of a coronial inquiry into Samsudeen's death.
That hearing heard surveillance officers stayed outside to maintain their cover, and two police officers who entered the supermarket did not have time to equip themselves with tasers as well as guns.
The coroner ruled the inquest would cover issues such as Samsudeen's path to violent extremism, his management in the community, and what happened on the day he died.
The Ministry of Justice says the inquest will be held over four weeks in May and June next year.
Samsudeen, from Sri Lanka, had his refugee status cancelled after being arrested at Auckland Airport in 2017, after allegedly saying he was on his way to Syria to join Isis.
He spent much of the next four years on remand in prison, but while Samsudeen was thought to be dangerous on his release he could not legally be held in custody under the Immigration Act, nor could he be deported.
