Christchurch attack 'shows blind spot on white nationalism'

The carnage unleashed in Christchurch by a white supremacist has highlighted what analysts say is the global problem of a far-right threat that frequently flies beneath the intelligence radar.

Like other extremist groups, racist ideologues have leveraged the power and reach of the internet to disseminate violent ideas, and give advice on the logistics of terror.

And while not a well-defined group with a core leadership, they represent a "blind spot" for security services, says Amarnath Amarasingam, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.

Bridging this gap -- instead of focusing primarily on Islamist militants -- needs to be a priority.

"We're able to -- in multiple sectors of government and policy... connect random knife attacks inspired by (the Islamic State group) to a global terrorist movement with some ease," Amarasingam wrote on Twitter after the Christchurch attack.

"But we struggle to do this with white nationalism, the alt right, etc. We need to quickly rethink this blind spot."
"An Australian travelling to New Zealand to attack mosques is one example."