from the daily telegraph

Anti-terror police swoop on activists’ homes

 

By Mark Buttler and Paul Anderson

 

March 15, 2007 12:00

 

ANTI-terror police swooped on alleged Melbourne G20 rioters as they slept in their Sydney beds yesterday.

Four men were dragged from their homes to face charges over the riot and other serious offences.

A fifth later turned himself in to police.

The dramatic arrests followed a four-month search for activists allegedly associated with Arterial Bloc, a radical protest group blamed for much of the violence at the meeting of 20 of the world’s economic powers.

Police from the NSW anti-terrorism unit joined Victorian detectives in the pre-dawn raids.

Supporters of the arrested men accused police of kicking down doors. They said dozens of police ransacked the homes.

It is believed three of the men are Sydney University students and a fourth is a Sydney University librarian.

Those charged over the riots were Daniel Robins, 23, of Newtown; Sunil Menon, 25, of Darlington; Daniel Jones, 20, of Balmain East; and Timothy Davis-Frank, 22, of Bronte.

A 17-year-old from Haberfield was also arrested and faced a Children’s Court.

Mr Menon was also charged with two counts of aggravated burglary.

Mr Davis-Frank was also charged with conduct endangering a person and two counts of aggravated burglary.

It is believed police seized items of clothing as evidence.

The four adults were bailed from Sydney Central Local Court on conditions that they report daily to police, reside at their home address, not contact prosecution witnesses and do not go to any points of international departure.

They will face Melbourne Magistrates’ Court next Tuesday.

Yesterday’s raids sparked an angry reaction from members of the so-called "G20 defence collective", who vowed to protest outside a NSW court complex today and tomorrow in the hope of having all charges dropped.

NSW police are expected to be out in force in case of any trouble.

"These actions by the police terrorism investigation squad are a gross attack on democratic rights," member Paddy Gibson said.

"That these police are even being used for protest matters is outrageous. Doors were kicked in and places ransacked by dozens of police.

"We demand all charges be dropped immediately."

The arrests came after Victorian detectives from Taskforce Salver analysed thousands of images captured on security cameras and taken by the media during the riot.

Callers from Crime Stoppers also helped.

As the arrested men were being bailed yesterday, Victoria Police released pictures of two G20 protesters still wanted for questioning.

They are high on Operation Salver’s list of persons of interest.

One is a woman who wore a tutu during the Melbourne protests and managed to wrest a baton from a police officer in full riot gear.

She then stood in front of the policeman and threatened him with his own weapon.

"While detectives are pleased with the results so far, Operation Salver is not over," Det Sen-Sgt Ivan McKinney said last night.

"Investigators are still following further avenues of inquiry.

"Anybody with information regarding these two persons of interest can call Crime Stoppers."

Melbourne police were accused of going "softly, softly" under orders and appeared overwhelmed during the G20 summit.

By contrast, Sydney police met protesters with force when US Vice-President Dick Cheney visited last month. They tackled hard and arrested lawbreakers on the spot.