Operation 8 | No Trace Project

Contents

Description
Techniques used

Contents

Description
Techniques used

Extract from the court document used to justify the raids, showing how the words “die for Tūhoe,” taken out of context from a private conversation, were used to suggest that someone was “prepared to die for the Tūhoe cause” (personal information censored by the No Trace Project). Tūhoe is a Māori *iwi* (tribe) whose members were particularly targeted by the operation.

On October 15, 2007, approximately 60 raids targeting Māori indigenous activists, anarchists, and other activists took place across New Zealand as part of an operation called “Operation 8.”^[1] A few more raids took place in 2007 and 2008. Around 20 people were arrested and initially accused of participating in a terrorist group and organizing “quasi-military training camps” in remote rural areas. In 2007 the original accusations were dropped and most of the defendants were instead charged with possession of weapons and Molotov cocktails and, for some of them, participation in a criminal group. In 2011 the charges against most of the defendants were dropped and only four people remained charged.^[2]

The operation started in 2006 when the police became aware of the “training camps.”^[3]

In a 2012 trial:

Two people were sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison.^[4]
Two people were sentenced to 9 months of home detention.^[5]

Techniques used

Name		Description
Biased interpretation of evidence		The case was characterized by a lack of evidence that the defendants were planning a specific attack, and relied instead on interpretation of circumstantial evidence.^[3] For example : Activities captured by hidden cameras at the “training camps” — training with firearms, learning military tactics, experimenting with Molotov cocktails — were intepreted as preparation for violently seizing control of part of New Zealand's territory. In private conversations recorded by microphones installed in vehicles, some defendants made boasting or unserious comments, including about “going to war,” acquiring a long-range sniper rifle, assassinating George W. Bush, or killing Pākehā (New Zealanders of European descent). These comments were interpreted as indicative of violent intentions.^[6]
Covert surveillance devices
	Audio	Microphones were installed in several vehicles and homes.^[3]
	Video	Cameras were installed at the “training camps” on several occasions.^[3] They were installed shortly before the beginning of the camps and removed shortly after. The goal was to identify who was participating in the camps, what they were doing, and what they were wearing. Footage captured by these cameras showed people: Training with firearms. Learning military tactics: patrolling, counter-ambush drills, etc. Experimenting with Molotov cocktails. At least one camera was installed outside a person's home.
Forensics
	Gait recognition	One person was identified in footage of the “training camps” based on their height, gait, and skin color.^[6]
House raid		During the raids, investigators seized:^[1] Electronic devices. Photos. Clothing items and camping gear, including tents, hiking boots, and tarps. The items were seized in an attempt to match them to similar items visible in footage of the “training camps.”^[3] Vehicles. Nine firearms. Some of the raids were particularly thorough: cops searched freezers, garbage bins, and compost bins.
Informants		At least two informants were active as part of the operation.^[7] In particular: Informants provided investigators with background information on the defendants and the dates of the “training camps.” An informant offered to sell someone a shotgun, presumably so that person could later be charged with possessing the shotgun.
Network mapping		Before the raids, investigators spent several months establishing links between people by examining metadata from:^[3] Phone calls (both mobile and landline). Phone text messages. Emails.
Open-source intelligence		Investigators obtained information on people from web searches and newspaper articles.^[3]
Physical surveillance
	Aerial	On the morning of the October 15 raids, a police helicopter was flying over an area where several raids were taking place, seemingly to surveil the area.^[1]
	Covert	Investigators regularly followed people on foot and in vehicles.^[3] Investigators regularly conducted covert surveillance operations near the “training camps,” but did not get close enough to see what was happening and could only hear shots being fired.^[6]
Roadblocks		On the morning of the October 15 raids, police set up a roadblock on the only road leading to an area where several raids were taking place.^[1] For most of the day, cops staffing the roadblock searched, questioned, and photographed people passing on the road.^[8]
Service provider collaboration
	Mobile network operators	Investigators used the collaboration of mobile network operators to intercept calls and text messages.^[3] The intercepted text messages revealed the dates and locations of the “training camps” and who attended them.
	Other	Investigators used the collaboration of service providers to obtain information on people from many different sources, including:^[3] Court records. Birth, death, and marriage records. Electoral registers. Records from Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ),^[9] the State agency that provides social services. Property ownership records. Vehicle ownership records. Car registration records. Power company client records. Bank records. Overseas travel movements, in one case dating back to 1983. Trade Me, New Zealand's largest online auction website. Investigators used the collaboration of the New Zealand Army to find out who, in a list of 58 people, had served in the military, presumably to identify who had military experience that they could use to contribute to the “training camps.”