NZ police arrest 14 in anti-terror raids
NEW Zealand police have arrested about 14 people in a series of anti-terrorist raids across the North Island, with Maori and environmental activists the main target according to media reports.
Police would not immediately disclose the reason for the operation.
However, detective inspector Harry Quinn confirmed specialist staff were continuing to search addresses looking for people, firearms and ammunition.
Fairfax Media said the arrests were the culmination of months of work by a police anti-terror unit which had hundreds of hours of recordings from bugged conversations, video surveillance, and tapped cellphone calls and texts.
It understood police had video of military-style training with live ammunition in camps deep in mountain ranges and expected to find machine guns and grenades during their raids.
Campaigners from various Maori sovereignty, environmental and "peace" groups were implicated, police said.
"These guys are serious. They are talking of killing people," a source was quoted as telling Fairfax.
It is understood police plan to charge up to 14 people with participating in a terrorist group under the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002.
Posted by: Oztralian 2007-10-14 |