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Police Minister on Kiwi Jihadist: 'He's made his own bed, he can lie in it'

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Wed, 6 Mar 2019, 10:14AM
Kiwi Jihadist Mark Taylor.

Police Minister on Kiwi Jihadist: 'He's made his own bed, he can lie in it'

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Wed, 6 Mar 2019, 10:14AM

Police Minister Stuart Nash says there are no plans to help 'Kiwi Jihadist' Mark Taylor, saying "he made his bed, he can lie in it".

The New Zealand Islamic State fighter has been captured by Kurdish forces in Syria.

Nash made the comments on his regular politics section on the Mike Hosking Breakfast.

Speaking with Mike he said they are going to do nothing.

"We don't want him here, we don't want him wandering around, there's no doubt about that. We haven't got the laws to put him in preventative detention at this point in time...it's got to be about public safety."

"So we are going to do nothing, we are not going to make any deputations to the Kurds to get him back, he's made his own bed, he can lie in it as far as I'm concerned."

When asked what would happen if Taylor made his own way back to New Zealand, Nash said we have laws that can "deal with him".

However, he admitted that "at this point, we don't have the ability to put him in jail with undetermined preventative detention".

Mike Hosking wasn't impressed, saying putting him in jail for a period of time and then letting him out isn't good enough.

However, Nash replied, "well that's the way justice works".

"I'm not going to defend this chap...this is not the sort of guy we want in New Zealand," he assured.

He said his hands were tied because that's how New Zealand's justice system works.

While Mark didn't agree with Stuart Nash, he said National is committed to working with the Government to stop Taylor being a free citizen in New Zealand.

Mitchell said if he was in power he would work with the Kurds to ensure Mark Taylor remained in jail. If that didn't work he said he would work on legislation which would allow him to be put into preventative detention in a maximum security prison.

"He's got to be kept out of the public.

Nash said mostly agreed with Mitchell.

 

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