http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22377873-5005961,00.html By staff writers and wires September 07, 2007 The Chaser pranksters charged for breaching APEC security with a bogus motorcade that came close to George W Bush's hotel say police gave them permission. ABC TV which airs the satirical The Chaser's War on Everything, and the program's producers, said in a statement last night that the Chaser team had no intention of entering the APEC restricted zone. They had no knowledge that they had entered a restricted zone, the statement said. "The motorcade proceeded down Macquarie Street with the permission of police. "When the Chaser reached the perimeter of what they thought was the APEC restricted zone, they voluntarily turned around. "The police only detained the Chaser motorcade when it was turning around and after Chas Licciardello emerged from a car dressed as Osama bin Laden." Chasers surprised A source inside the show has told The Daily Telegraph the team never expected to get so far. The skit had been approved by ABC lawyers but was written in the assumption they would be stopped at the first checkpoint. Instead they were waved through the first on Macquarie St, then a second, which had sniffer dogs, and eventually stopped themselves at Bridge St. "As they did Chas got out of a car dressed as Osama bin Laden and said something like 'I'm an important world leader why don't I have a seat at the APEC table?'. Apparently that was the first time the police realised it was not authentic and they swooped in and arrested everybody," the source said. The ABC statement said the Chaser team members were wearing mock "insecurity" passes, which expressly stated they were a joke. But the head of the APEC investigation squad, NSW Police Force Detective Superintendent Ken McKay was not amused. He issued his own statement last night, but he did not mention police had given permission to the comedians. "While it appears it was a prank, the current APEC security environment isn't the place to do it," he said. "Who they are is irrelevant - they were charged like anyone else who breaks the law." The stunt exposed an embarrassing and potentially dangerous flaw in the $250 million security measures put in place to protect 21 world leaders, many of whom will converge on Sydney today for the start of the APEC summit. Officers involved in the APEC security operation revealed last night that police manning CBD roadblocks are frequently not told whether motorcades coming toward them are legitimate. "We're amazed at the lack of communication that allowed this to happen but how are they to know whether a motorcade is legitimate when they're not supposed to stop them and nothing is broadcast over the (police) radio," an officer said. A NSW Police spokesman last night denied a lack of communications led to the security blunder and said adequate communication systems were in place. Eleven arrested The convoy of three black cars, decked out to resemble an official Canadian motorcade, came within metres of the hotel where US President George W Bush is staying, before finally being pulled over by authorities. Eleven people were arrested, including Licciardello, who sat in the back of one of the cars dressed as Osama bin Laden. Also arrested was Julian Morrow, who posed as a security guard running alongside the motorcade. All 11, ten men and one woman aged between 25 and 47, were charged with entering a restricted area without justification. The charge comes under newly legislated APEC laws that restrict anyone from entering declared zones during APEC. Authorities had warned there would be a presumption against bail for people arrested in the APEC security zone, but all were granted bail to appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on October 4. - from AAP and The Daily Telegraph ____________________________________ Visit the InfoSec News Bookstore http://www.shopinfosecnews.org
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