New Zealand attacker radicalized by neighbors, mother says

The mother of an Islamic State-inspired extremist who stabbed shoppers in a New Zealand supermarket said her son was radicalized by neighbors from Syria and Iraq

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- The mother of an Islamic State-inspired extremist who stabbed shoppers in a New Zealand supermarket said her son was radicalized by neighbors from Syria and Iraq who helped him recover from an injury. The attacker, Ahamed Samsudeen, was a 32-year-old Tamil Muslim from Sri Lanka. He arrived in New Zealand 10 years ago on a student visa, and applied for refugee status on the basis of being persecuted in his home country. Samsudeen was shot and killed by police, who said five people were stabbed and two injured in last week’s attack. His mother, Mohamedismail Fareetha, said his descent into extremism began after he fell several stories in 2016 while attending university.