New Zealand Raises Terror Alert Level; Kiwis Warned of Risk of Returning ISIS Fighters

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has raised the national terror alert from "very low" to "low" which means a terrorist attack is possible but not expected. The government has approved a review of its foreign fighter laws amid reports of a small number of New Zealanders have travelled to the Middle East to fight alongside the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

According to reports, Mr Key said current laws do not deal with the threat posed by radical fighters returning to the country after fighting for ISIS. The prime minister revealed that he was aware of people in New Zealand who are interested to travel abroad and support ISIS. He said the number of New Zealanders who wish to join may be small compared to those from other countries, but it is still significant considering the size of New Zealand.

After raising the terrorism threat level, Mr Key said the people of New Zealand should not be "complacent" of the risk posed by returning fighters and supporters of ISIS propaganda on the Internet.

The Cabinet has ordered a review to consider several issues, including the cancellation of passports for more than 12 months and the effectiveness of current laws to address the risk of returning jihadists. Mr Key has declared that if changes are recommended after the review, he would seek bipartisan support so amendments can be passed before Christmas.The prime minister said it was important for New Zealand laws to be aligned with close allies like Australia which has previously announced its new anti-terrorism laws, ABC reports.

Chris Finlayson, minister in charge of Security Intelligence Service and the Government Communications Security Bureau, said the anti-terror laws may be strengthened if the findings of the review suggest a need for resources. Finlayson added that the government's actions are in line with the UN Security Council resolution to stop people from leaving and fight for extremist groups.

Meanwhile, Australia is one of the ISIS targets for "lone-wolf" terrorist attacks named in the fourth edition of Dabiq which is a terrorist-run magazine that presents horrific images of beheaded hostages. The article, titled Rush to Support Your State, O Muslim, has called for global action against the "crusaders" or the U.S.-led coalition. It cited the U.S., UK, Germany, France and Australia as the targets for terrorist attacks.