Gang war Spreads To Domestic Terminal

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Article at dailytelegraph.com.au By Kara Lawrence March 22-2009

Police could get the power to break up congregating gangs under a new plan to deal with escalating violence in Sydney , which spilled shockingly into full public view today.

A 28-year-old man , bikie is dead after the latest incident , a vicious brawl involving up to 20 bikies , including members of the Bandidos , at Sydney Airport domestic terminal shortly after 1.30pm.

An ambulance spokesman said he appeared to have been bludgeoned with a weapon posibbly a metal pole .

he was rushed to Prince of Wales Hospital but suffered severe head injuries and went into cardiac arrest at the scene.

Police arrested 4 men and retrieved several weapons including portable bollards.

Earlier , two people were injured in a series of shootings at Auburn this morning.

The violence came as underworld tensions reached a new high following the murder last week of crime figure Abdul Darwiche , and a string oof bikie-related drive-by shootings , believed part of an ongoing war between the Bandidos and rival group Notorious.

NSW Police Minister Tony Kelly said he would meet with police tis week too discuss tougher legiislation.

''I will be meeting with the Police Commissioner and the attorney-general, looking at additional laws that we can bring into place to round these people up ,'' Mr Kelly told reporters in Sydney.

''We're looking at all powers that are possible ... to try and get members of these outlaw motorcycle gangs or some of the othher gangs as well.''

Mr Kelly saisd the group would consider South Australian legislation which allows government and police to outlaw particular gangs , whose members can be arrested if they congregate.

During the week , six people , including a baby , in a house on Indigo Way at Prospect , in Sydney's west , escaped injury when shots were fired at the property.

Minutes earlier , two adults inside a Taworri Street at nearby Doonside were also uninjured when the property was hit with a spray of gunfire.

Seven houses were damaged during this morninggs incident at Auburn.

A 17-year-old youth was treated at Auburn hospital before being arrested abd taken to Auburn police station where he is helping police with their inquiries.

Detective Inspector Gary Jubelin , from the State Crime Command Gangs Squad , said police were invvestigating if trhe attack was linked to organised crime.

''At the highest level , there's a trenuous link to outlaw motorcycle gangs ,'' Det Insp Jubelin told reporters in Sydney.

'' We are exploring that option but that is not necessarily what this incident was in relation to.''

He said police did not believe the seven houses were directly targeted.

Police initally said the incident was a drive-by shooting but later Det Insp would not confirm how the attack occurred.

But police seized two vehicles that will uundergo forensic testing.

Det Insp Jubelin would not comment on the type of weapons used or who police think may have been involved.

''We're got a clear picture on what we think has happened , i don't want to elaborate any further on that ,'' he said.

The fact seven houses were damaged shoowed how dangerous the incident was.

:The end result speaks for it self ,'' he said.

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Article at dailytelegraph.com.au Author Kara Lawrence Date 23 March Monday 2009 Part 1

''IT was not meant to happen like that.''

With these words , Sydney's bikie community admitted the murder of a man they say was not a bikie member in a vicious bashing at Sydney airport yesterday was a mistake.

The 28-year-old Sydney man was killed in the presence of his brother , a Hell's Angels motorcycle gang member also from Sydney.

It happened when a vicious brawl broke out at Sydney's domestic airport yesterday afternoon involving up to 15 men.

Police have been met with a wall of silence in their investigations but believe the incident is linked to rival bikie gangs.

Police sources told the Daily Teleghraph it was still unclear who had initated the brawl but that a connection to another feud between the Bandidos and Notorious had been ruled out.

A source with knowledge of Sydney's bikie community told the Daily Telegraph the man's death had been a mistak.

''He was the brother of one[a Hell's Angel],'' the source said.

''It was so wrong.

''It was notr meant to happen like that.''

The murder follows a series of tit-for-tat shootings involving two other rival bikie gangs the latest just yesterday that has left Sydney's suburban streets living in fear.

Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione will meet today with Police Minister Tony Kelly and Attorney-General John Hatzistergos to discuss the proposed gang legislation.

The laws discussed are modelled on South Australia's controversial gang law and would allow bikie gangs to be proscribed as criminal gangs.

Members of the proscribed groups could then be charged with committing the offence of being part of the gang.

Police said a group of men arrived on a flight to Sydney about 1.30pm yesterday and were unexpectedly met by what they believe to be a rival outlaw bikie gang group.

At the arrival area of the Qantas T3 terminal , witnesses told police a fight broke out. The brawl then continued upstairs in the depature area , where one man was hit over the head with a portable bollard.

The victim was bashed at the e-ticket check-in area of the domestic terminal three , when he was set upon in a brawl involving up to 15 people.

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PART 2

The entire incident was caught on CCTV and police were last night taking 27 witnesses to the attack to Marobura police station.

The alleged attackers fled the airport and caught a cab outside.

The cab's registration plates were caught on CCTV and police pulled over the cab with the men still aboard in the Rockdale area.

They were taken to Mascot police station and the victim's brother was also arrested at the scene on unrelated matters. He was taken to a seperate police station.

Senior police sources said the scene was one of chaos at the airport last night.

What police had been able to piece together was that either victims or the attackers had been on a Melbourne - Sydney flight and the incident occured shortly after the plane arrived , about 1.30pm.

Soon after the attack , police sources said they believed the bashing was the result of an ongoing gang war between the Bandidos outlaw motorcycle gang and rivals Notorious , based in the Kings Cross area.

However , as hours passed , that version changed with sources saying the Comancheros may be involved in a separate war with the Hell's Angels.

The Comancheros were suspected of carrying out the firebombings of the Hell's Angels clubhouse at Petersham last month , followed day's later by the kneecapping of a Comoncheros member.

Passengers who arrived after the incident faced lengthly queues at the remaining check-in area.

Five crime scenes were established , including one at the check-in area inside security around gate 5 , in a blood stained lift well and at Prince of Wales hospital where on of the victims died.

Police were interviewing up tp 50 witnesses and hoped closed circuit TV footage would help with their investigations.

Botany Bay crime manager Detective Inspector Peter Williams said he believed a group of motorcycle gang members had got off a plane and been met by another group.

A fight broke out and moved through various parts of the terminal.

The incident came a little over 12 hours after the drive-by shooting of a family home linked to Mahmoud Dib , a senior member of the Bandidos outlaw motorcycle gang at Auburn about 1am yesterday.

The fibro home in Pine Road Auburn was believed to have been targeted by members of Notorious , a relatively new bikie gang wrestling for power on Sydney's drug turf.

However , members of the Bandidos were said to be expecting the attack and a gun battle ensued , resulting in seven nearby houses being sprayed with bullets and two cars beeing crashed into.

Cartridges from automatic weapons littered Pine and intersecting Cumberland Roads . A high-powered automatic rifle was said to be one of the weapons involved. Auburn police later said they recovered to vehicles.

Two men , aged 18 and 17 , presented to hospital one with a gunshot wound to the leg and another with a ''graze''.

The youth with minor injuries was questioned by police but released without charge. Dib , 27 , was targeted in a drive-by at his own home early last Monday but he , his wife and children were not injured.

[Belangalo]

Article at dailytelegraph.com.au Authors Janet Fife - Yeomans and Malcolm Farr March 24 2009

Kevin Rudd today declared ''zero tolerance'' of bikie crime and police vowed they were ready to fight the worst bikie violence in 25 years - yet not one officer turned up as four alleged gang members faced court.

The Prime Minister , in the US for talks with President Barack Obama , was commenting after Australia was shocked by a deadly running brawl among gang members at Sydney airport.

''Bikie violence and bikie thugs and organised criminal activity from my point of view should have zero tolerance ,'' he said in Washington.

Mr Rudd said the top law officers of the Commonwealth and states would meet to discuss ''further actions across the nation.''

The meeting of the standing committee of Attorneys-General will be in addition to the police investigation.

''This sort of behaviour by bikies and others engaged in criminal activity is unaccepetable ,'' Mr Rudd said.

He said the brawl showed ''we have a problem on our hands that comes to organised bikie gang violence across the country''.

''I find it unacceptable. It is unacceptable. It is repugant ,'' he added.

Meanwhile , Central Local Court magistrate Allan Moore was incensed by the police no-show as an angry public demanded to know how a bikie war was Rees announced an extra 75 officers had been drafted to the 50-strong gang squad.

The magistrate was forced to adjourn the case of the four men charged with affray until tomorrow as the brutal death of Anthony Zervas , 29 , in front of crowds of travellers exposed fatal shortcomings in Sydney airport security.

Four men- Ismail Eken , 26 of Kingsford , Maher Aouli , 28 of Casula , Pomare Prini , 21 of Georges Hall , and Zoran Kisacanin , 22 , off Ingleburn - have each been charged with one count of affray.

As more deatils emerged in court it became clear Qantas failed to alert Sydney airport security despite feuding between Hell's Angels and Comancheros beginning on the flight from Melbourne.

As the brawl rolled through the packed airport , bikie gang members determined to join the fray from the public area were able to walk into the T3 domestic terminal allegedly armed with knives and knuckledusters. Yet airport police only moved after terrifiedd passengers phone triple-0.

Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione and Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty came under fire for their precived lack of action as the State Opposition claimed only six officers werre guarding the country's busiest airport on Sunday.

Mr Keelty - whose force has primary responsibility for maintaining airport security-said the responce was ''within acceptable practice''/

The first call went to triple-0 at 1.45pm yesterday (Sunday) afternoon. The first call to the airport police command came in at 1.46pm and the first police responded at 1.47pm,''he said.

Also on the defensive , Mr Scipione said: ''You can't have a policeman every three feet.''

Federal Attorney - General Robert McClelland wanted a report from the AFP.

AFP Commander Warren , in charge of security at the airport , said the men were not easily identifiable as gang members , despit evidence some wore T-shirts with their gang emblems.

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Article at dailytelegraph.com.au Authors Rhett Watson and Simon Benson Wednesday March 25 2009

Two armed federal police officers waited for backup as the bikies who bludgeoned a man to death fled sydney airport.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal the officers preferred to wait for backup because they were out numbered by up to 20 bikies.

It comes as the former head of Sydney airport called for police officers based at the airport to be armed with machineguns.

An airport security source revealed officers arrived four minutes and 17 seconds after the call to triple-0 on Sunday to find at least six bikies fighting , while others stood nearby.

Seconds later the brawlers fled the airport , with four alleged attackers leaving in a taxi before being later arrested at Brighton-Le-Sands.

The revelation that police , albeit outnumbered , did not immediately react comes as a veil is lifted on the gross inadequacy of security at the natiopns largest airport - including concers that:

Qantas CCTV surveillance system lacks picture quality because it was never designed to be good enough to be used for evidentiary purposes;

Qantas demanded the AFP be stationed near scanning points about 50 metres from where the fatal bashing took place-but were ignored; and

Allegations by a Sydney airport insider that it's CCTV coverage had so many gaps that "Big W has better surveillance''.

The NSW Crime Commission warned authorities last year about the potential for vulnerabilities at Australian sea and airports in relation to outlaw motorcycle gangs.

Former Sydney airport CEO Tony Stuart , now the CEO for the NRMA , said the fatal brawl ''would not have happened at other airports overseas'' becausae of their show of force.

''Traditionally , there has been a genuine concern not to unduly alarm the travelling public but i think the travelling public almost want airports to have the visible security ,'' he said.

London , Rome , Hong Kong , Paris all have heavily armed security or paramilitary officers roaming the terminals with automatic weapons.

AFP chief Mick Keelty last night downplayed the possibilty. ''Do we want people with machinguns standing around the airports?'' he said.

Meanwhile , the AFP has refused to comment on whether their officers had arrived on the scene but made no arrests as they considered themselves to be out numbered.

''You''ll have to print what you so wish ,'' a spokesman said.

An airport security scource said: ''When police arrived , the brawl had moved outside the airport doors but there was still half a dozen punching into each other.

''Others were trying to escape because they had seen the police.

''I don't know why two Glocks couldn't out number 20 bikies.''

Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione on Monday said: ''It may well be that there was one patrol of two officers [who] noticed it but when there's one patrol of two officers and large numbers involved in affray , leading up to that very serious outcome it's going to be difficult for two officers to do a lot.''

Qantas denied claims it's crew should have alerted police before the flight arrived on Sunday. A spokesman said there was nothing to indicate the bikies on board were acting aggressively.