Furore at newspaper 'fools' of terror

Publisher Mitchell Murphy Speaks

Police Minister Appalled At Terror Stunt

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Police and the Government are in a standoff with a Sunday newspaper over faked terrorism exercises at Super 14 rugby matches.

The Sunday Star-Times yesterday hit back at what it called false and grossly overstated allegations by Police Minister Judith Collins.

Collins said the Fairfax newspaper had commissioned "a number" of people posing as terrorists to infiltrate restricted areas at Super 14 matches in Hamilton and Christchurch last weekend.

She said the actions were "insane" and they had been carried out by "fools".

If the police had detected the impostors they would have been forced to evacuate the stadiums, risking injury to fleeing spectators, she said.

"To think that they could at any stage put people at risk like that just for the sake of a headline is utterly appalling," Collins said.

Yesterday, the newspaper's actions were condemned by management at Christchurch's AMI Stadium and Hamilton's Waikato Stadium.

It is understood the newspaper had a reporter carrying fake explosives in a backpack and a dummy detonator on his body. It is believed the "bomber" was able to achieve access to restricted areas at the ground.

Sunday Star-Times managing editor Mitchell Murphy said critics should withhold judgment about the newspaper's actions until the results of its investigation were revealed.

"Our investigation, which is a matter of significant public interest, was well planned and carefully considered," he said.

"We sought legal advice prior to commencing our investigation, and the journalists involved worked under strict protocols."

He said the reporter carrying fake explosives had a letter outlining the investigation in case he was stopped, which would have prevented evacuation.

"At no stage was the public at risk; nor did we break the law," Murphy said.

With the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand next year, stadium security needed to be first-rate, and the investigation had exposed flaws.

It is understood police are furious about the newspaper's actions, with Assistant Commissioner John White holding talks with Murphy this week.

Police spokesman Jon Neilson said there was no parallel between the security at the ground for a Super 14 match and what would be in place for the World Cup.

"Police do not approve of this sort of tactic," he said.

Associate Professor Jim Tully, who is the head of the Canterbury University journalism course, said the alleged action was "a silly piece of journalism".

"It's one thing to potentially test security measures pretty close to the World Cup, but doing it now seems pretty dumb because they're unlikely to be in place," he said.

The story could backfire on the newspaper by damaging its credibility, he said.

VBase chief executive Bryan Pearson said the "stupid stunt" at AMI Stadium, which the company manages, could have led to serious injury if the stadium had to be evacuated.

He said there was no terrorism threat to the stadium and the focus of security would continue to be on keeping fans from smuggling alcohol into the ground.

Pearson said Rugby New Zealand 2011 was developing security measures for the World Cup that were likely to be different from current precautions because it was an international event.

Canterbury Crusaders chief executive Hamish Riach said the incident would not put a stop to fans going on to the field.

"It would be a shame if a whole lot of things were affected. If there were major delays at the entry point with every single person being patted down, that would be an extraordinary outcome from this," he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News