Chasers Boys Arrested!!! - OSAMA APEC STUNT

[edw1n]

A TEAM of comedians have managed to cause the first embarrassing APEC security blunder with The Chaser with a man dressed as Osama bin Laden managing to ride a fake motorcade through two police cordons into the red zone.

Up to 11 people connected to the ABC Chaser group have been arrested by police after they drove their fake motorcade down Macquarie Street into the fenced off area not far from the Intercontinental Hotel where President George W Bush is staying.

It appears Chas Licciardello was dressed as Osama bin Laden and was only arrested after he emerged from one of the vehicles, much to the embarrassment of security forces in the area.

Somehow, the team managed to avoid the massive security contingent to get as far as they did. .

They had crossed Bent St and stopped at Bridge St when they were arrested.

Despite their arrest, The Chaser managed to get their footage back the studio.

A team of ABC staffers have been arguing with detectives as to the legality oft hem being in the area.

[Hitman]

Yeah, I just heard about this...these guys are fucking nuts...but funny as hell...

[Chantel]

THAT'S BRILLIANT

[Chantel]

Two of The Chaser team have been detained after conducting a fake motorcade through the city this morning.

Chas Licciardello and Chaser executive producer Julian Morrow are in custody at Surry Hills police station, after being arrested for breaching the APEC restricted zone.

About 10 other crew members have also been arrested.

Chaser team member Chris Taylor told smh.com.au that the motorcade comprised "three cars, a couple of motorbikes, and a lot of crew".

"It was a motorcade trying to get into the exclusion zone," he said.

The motorcade is understood to have passed through at least one police checkpoint in the declared zone.

It is believed police pulled the vehicles over near the corner of Bridge and Macquarie streets, after Licciardello emerged from one of the cars dressed as Osama Bin Laden.

Chaser crew members were initially detained in their cars while "police on the ground'' waited for special units to arrive, Taylor said.

Riot squad police formed a cordon around a Corrective Services truck where Morrow, Licciardello and about ten crew and extras were detained.

The Chaser convoy had been dressed up to look like an official Canadian motorcade, with Canadian flags attached to the cars and "Canada'' signs visible in the front windscreen.

"No particular reason we chose Canada," said Taylor. "We just thought they'd be a country who the cops wouldn't scrutinise too closely, and who feasibly would only have three cars in their motorcade - as opposed to the 20 or so gas guzzlers that Bush has brought with him."

The vehicles in the motorcade were hired - two were black "SUVs" imported from the US, and the other was a regular car.

Police superintendent Ken McKay confirmed the pair had been arrested for breaching the restricted zone.

The arrests had been made using new powers available under the APEC Act, he said.

Police Media were preparing a statement on the incident.

Earlier this morning, US President George Bush's motorcade swept through the city to Darling Harbour.

The NSW Minister for Transport, John Watkins, warned Sydneysiders that most of the disruptions due to motorcades were yet to come.

"Between 3pm and 7.30pm today, there will be 92 motorcade movements around the city," he said.

Between 4pm and 7.30pm there would be motorcades from the airport for delegations from Canada, Vietnam and the director-general of APEC.



fucking Canada

[Hitman]

SO good...

[depressed goth]

It will be interesting come October 4 th.