Recently I wrote about a California judge who tried to rule terrorists convicted after an attack should be set free, on the basis of protecting a right to speech (planning the attack). His ruling was overturned (and he stepped down after making racist comments to his staff).

New Zealand has gone straight from a terrorist attack to outlawing planning the attack.

New Zealand passed a new security law on Thursday that outlaws preparations for terror attacks, closing a loophole exposed after seven people were stabbed and wounded this month in a supermarket in the most populous city of Auckland.

[…]

In 2020, authorities unsuccessfully sought to charge him with terrorism offences after he bought a hunting knife and was found in possession of Islamic State videos.

However, a judge ruled Samsudeen did not contravene New Zealand’s terror laws at the time. He was released and placed under 24-hour police surveillance.

The change is said to reflect the “lone” terrorist problem, which is a function of information spread due to technology. In other words, with time from planning to sophisticated terror attack being greatly shortened, responding in the earlier phase becomes essential to successful prevention of harm.