New Zealand Impacted By World Affairs

To misquote John Donne - "No island is an island", New Zealand isn't as remote from world affairs as you may think.

From Wikpedia.com
Rayed Mohammed Abdulla Ali and the Sept 11 Attacks, Anvar Kadyrov and the KGB

"Rayed Mohammed Abdulla Ali is a Saudi Arabian student pilot who was deported from New Zealand in 2006 for having links with at least one of the September 11, 2001 attakcs hijackers. Ali entered New Zealand in February 2006 on a student visa, saying his dream was to become a commercial airline pilot and that he needed an English language qualification to assist. He then moved to Auckland to learn English and then moved to Palmerston North to fly at the Manawatu Aero Club. He told the Palmerston North flight school that he had obtained his private pilot's certificate in the United States and spent several years there before returning to Saudi Arabia to work in his father's textile business. He wanted to pass the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam so he could return home to train for his commercial pilot's license.

On May 29, 2006, New Zealand authorities raided Ali's Palmerston North home, and on May 30 he was deported back to Saudi Arabia under escort. On June 10, 2006 the New Zealand government released a statement saying that Ali was deported because he "posed a threat to national security" and confirmed that he had lived and trained in Phoenix, Arizona, with fellow Saudi Hani Hanjour in the months leading up to the September 11, 2001 attacks."

Further reading
A Democratic Underground discussion about Mr Ali
Trento's Column. Using passengers as bait to catch Al Qaeda

"It was only the second time that section 72 of the New Zealand Immigration Act has been used to deport someone. Its use requires the consent of the Governor-General, and there is no right of appeal. It was used for the deportation of Soviet spy Anvar Kadyrov, a former KGB operative who was apprehended by New Zealand authorities in 1991 while attempting to obtain a New Zealand passport using a copy of a birth certificate of a deceased. Section 72 provides that where the Immigration Minister certifies that the continued presence in New Zealand of a person constitutes a threat to national security, the Governor-General may, by order in council, order that person's deportation."

Alexander Kouzminov
See also: "An interview with Alexander Kouzminov -author of Biological Espionage, an inside account of his work within the top secret “Directorate S” where he helped implement Russia’s plans for biological espionage and biological warfare. He currently lives in New Zealand with his wife and family."

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