New Zealand PM says police found ISIS related material from attacker's home

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says her government has been trying for years to deport the man who injured seven people in a knife attack in Auckland.

The statement came late on Saturday after a court in New Zealand overturned the repression order and allowed details about the attacker.

He has been identified in court documents as Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen, a Tamil Muslim from Sri Lanka.

The 32-year-old had arrived in New Zealand 10 years ago with a student visa-seeking refugee status, which was obtained in 2013.

Ardern, who described Samsudeen as "the terrorist" and did not give his name, said the police was paying attention to him since 2016 after he expressed sympathy on Facebook for "terrorist" attacks.

Subsequent investigations have shown that his refugee status has been fraudulently obtained, and authorities have begun the process of maintaining his right to New Zealand.

Court documents say Saturday was arrested at Auckland airport the following year as it was suspected he was en route to Syria. A police search of his home at the time revealed a large hunting knife and "propaganda" material with the ISIL (ISIS) group.

He was jailed for criminal charges, including over ISIL material, as the New Zealand government served him with deportation notices in 2019.

But Samsudeen appealed the announcement, telling a court he would face "arrest, detention, abuse and torture" when he was sent back to Sri Lanka.

In their statement, the order said the deportation appeal could not proceed after the Saturday criminal trial was completed.

"Meanwhile, agencies were concerned about the risk this person posed to the community," she added, noting that officials knew he could be released and that the appeal, "which will stop his deportation," took some time.

At that point, Samsudeen was in custody for three years, and authorities had exhausted all means to keep him in custody.