Davis: New Zealand Mosque Shootings Are 'Worst-Case Scenario'
BOSTON (CBS) -- New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Friday's mass shootings at two separate mosques in Christchurch were a thoroughly planned out terrorist attack. Former Boston Police Commissioner and WBZ-TV Security analyst Ed Davis agreed.
"It's not the work of a mad man acting out on the spur of a moment," said Davis. "You clearly have planning here. So that raises the possibility of conspiracies and other people being involved in the process. It also raises the potential for international connections."
According to Davis, it appears the suspect, or suspects, adopted strategies used by groups like ISIS to carry out the attacks on houses of worship.
"This is really a worst-case scenario," said Davis. "There are literally thousands of soft targets, but when they target a mosque, or synagogue, or house of worship there's a personal connection there."
Ardern mentioned of the three people taken into custody, none of them had appeared on any watch lists.
"It is troubling to realize that," said Davis. "Makes us rethink the systems and processes we have in place to try and prevent something like this. But if it's a lone person who's planning these things on their own, and not talking to anyone about it, it's virtually impossible to track that down before it happens. That's why this investigation is so important right now."
Law enforcement agencies in Boston, Worcester, and around the country have stepped up protection of mosques.
"We're not quite sure what we have here. So, until New Zealand authorities and their partners have drilled down into this, we'll be at a higher state of readiness," Davis said.