Weapons training camps in anti-terror raids

Weapons training camps in anti-terror raids

Tame Iti among those taken in by police

By MELANIE JONES, TONY WALL and KIM RUSCOE - Sunday Star Times | Monday, 15 October 2007

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DAVID WHITE/Sunday Star Times

FACING CHARGES: Tame Iti, who was among the people taken in by police in today's raids and is facing arms charges, is seen at a Waitangi Day ceremony at Waitangi's lower marae in 2005.

Waikato Times

GOING IN: An armed offenders squad member prepares to enter a house in Avalon Drive in Hamilton as part of a series of anti-terrorist raids across the North Island this morning.

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LATEST: A major anti-terror operation is underway today with police targeting what they say are locally grown guerrilla style training camps in the remote Urewera mountain range.

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A high level secret government group based out of Prime Minister Helen Clark's office has been involved in the unprecedented operation and Police Commissioner Howard Broad has told a press conference they had moved "in the interests of public safety".

At least 20 people are facing arms charges, including prominent activist Tame Iti who is appearing in the Rotorua District Court this afternoon.

His lawyer denies any connection to terrorism.

And in Auckland 10 people are facing charges of illegal possession of Molotov cocktails, rifles and ammunition.

Lawyer Charl Hirschfeldt said the two men he represented would be seeking name suppression and bail.

At least eight others were to appear alongside his clients, he said.

Mr Broad told media weapons training camps in the Bay of Plenty were targeted.

A number of people had been conducting and participating in training camps involving the use of firearms and other weapons.

"Based on the information and the activity known to have taken place, I decided it was prudent that action should be taken in the interests of public safety."

He said that search warrants were obtained under the Summary Proceedings Act to search for evidence of offences being committed against the Arms Act and possibly the Terrorism Suppression Act.

"We're aware that this is the first time that the Terrorism Suppression Act has been considered in terms of an operation.

"We are, therefore, proceeding with full care in talking to people and assessing information before we can determine whether there is sufficient evidence to seek the consent of the Attorney General through the Solicitor General to charge anyone under that Act."

Firearms had been found and once the operation was over police would assess all information before them before charging anyone under the Terrorism Act.

He urged people not to jump to conclusions.

The Terrorism Act requires the police to seek the approval of the Attorney General before court proceedings are initiated.

The Sunday Star Times' Melanie Jones reports a top secret "O Desk" group met at the Beehive earlier this month to hear what was planned for today.

She reports that this morning's arrests are the culmination of months of work by a specialist police anti-terror unit which has hundreds of hours of recordings from bugged conversations, video surveillance, and tapped cellphone calls and texts.

Police have video of military-style training with live ammunition in camps deep in the Urewera mountain ranges and expected to find machine guns and grenades during their raids.

Campaigners from various Maori sovereignty, environmental and "peace" groups are implicated.

"These guys are serious. They are talking of killing people," a source said.

More than 60 other people from around the country who