Aussie bin Laden penetrates APEC security

Police decry TV comedy stunt

By Lester Haines • Get more from this author

Posted in Entertainment, 6th September 2007 14:00 GMT

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A crack squad of Oz TV comedians - one dressed as Osama bin Laden - today succeeded in penetrating tight defences around the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Sydney, Reuters reports.

The Chaser team drove three cars, complete with motorcycle escorts, unchallenged through two checkpoints and were only detained "within metres of the hotel where U.S. President George W. Bush is staying". Police duly frisked the pranksters, confiscated a fake beard and detained "two cast members and several of the support crew for questioning".*

Local police superintendent Dave Owens was not impressed, and told the press: "Whilst I enjoy, like everyone else, a good laugh, this isn't funny. I'm very angry that such a stunt like this could be pulled."

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer claimed the incident "proved the security arrangements had worked". He added: "They presumably were ... aiming to humiliate a lot of well-known people. The point is they were in any case arrested."

Bootnote

*We sincerely hope this isn't a case of from Botany Bay to Guantanamo Bay.

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