2011: More Crime, Terror, Guns?

• December 31st, 2010
• Posted by EUEditor

It may not be a good omen to find police and security forces again amongst the hardest workers of the New Year holiday season, in 2010-11.

DANGERS ABROAD

All questions of politics and religion can be put aside, and still an unabated world trade in small arms and explosives, people and drugs, will have the built-in dynamic to create new markets for mayhem.

This year, along with the letter bombs in Rome; it’s been round-ups of suspects, to prevent possible terrorist attacks, in Copenhagen, London and Rotterdam.

Among those, the Danish authorities have been the most emphatic that their case involves a very serious and immediate threat to life.

They said the group arrested had an automatic weapon ready to use against people at the offices of  Jyllands-Posten, the newspaper which created uproar over its publication of  satirical “Mohammed” cartoons five years ago.

See EUAustralia Online. “Watch on terror”, 28, 30.12.10.

AUSTRALIAN END

The Australian contribution to terror and crime started with the conviction of three men on Christmas Eve on charges of planning an attack on an army base – in protest against national commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Australian media since the weekend have been closely following the progress of a Sydney-sider of Turkish background, Hakan Ayik (picture), arrested at Kyrenia, in Cyprus, on 20.12.10.

Named on the most wanted list of the Australian Crime Commission, he was charged with keeping proscribed pharmaceuticals, local police saying that he also had equipment used to make narcotics and steroids – and eight mobile telephones.

He has since been released on bail of a little over A$60000 and  banned from leaving Cyprus.

(For any actual inveterate crook, getting out of that would have to involve a few nights’ takings on the street, passport for some place, expenses for government officials somewhere else, plus the speedboat or light aircraft to a friendly port).

Hakan Ayik has been described as a body-builder associated with a motorcycle gang, owner of bars or brothels, evading an arrest warrant from the New South Wales police.

GUNS TO GO

The deep interest of Danish police in a single firearm suggests that use of guns remains under some degree of regulation – a matter sadly given a public airing on the occasion of “Columbine” style high school shootings, in Germany and in Finland in recent years.

See EUAustralia Online: “Crime of different kinds”, 23.3.10; “Faces of fear”, 8.11.07.

Is there any drift to a United States model, where firearms proliferate and safety campaigns by private organisations carry much of the burden?

A casual search for information for EUAustralia produced a site out of Oklahoma, promoting incidentally amongst the Christmas festivities of the town, a Sunday “Gun Celebration” – on that occasion admiration of guns just in an historical context; participants could admire the arms of costumed horse cavalrymen or Confederate officers.

Oklahoma by coincidence has its own historical link to extremist terror: 168 killed in the 1995 bomb attack against “big government” – a public service office complex.

“There are guns in approximately half of all US households”, states a brochure currently distributed in America with endorsement of the gun lobby, the National Rifle Association, quoting “federal statistics”.

The brochure provides a “parents’ guide to gun safety” which airs the basic rules, (e.g. when totin’ the family firearm, keep it pointed “in a safe direction”, and so on).

(The illustration in the brochure shows a family group rugged up for bed playing at a board game; intentionally or otherwise, Dad is pointing a finger, revolver-like).

Visiting European family members not just out of the armed forces, police, hunting groups, Russian mafia or sports shooting societies, might be interested in going to classes and, subject to foreigner restrictions, getting armed.

A well-known Las Vegas enterprise advertises classes in children’s gun safety, taser operation or pepper spraying, for self-defence; it can help with registration, for a Concealed Firearm Permit, Security Firearms and Use of Force certificate, or Security Baton Training.

Then it offers the goods to go with the paperwork, or have a practice on site: “Glock, knives, holsters, body armour, handgun rentals, laser and tritium sights …” – and “lead-free ammunition”.

“Machine guns in stock for you to fire!”, it promises; and there’s a coupon deal: “$5 off any full auto with this ad”.

Reference

ABC News, Sydney, AFP, “Australian drug fugitive granted bail”, 31.12.10. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/12/31/3104136.htm?section=justin, (31.12.10).

Barclay Crawford, “Alleged Australian drug baron Hakan Ayik”, Sunday Telegraph, Sydney, 25.12.10. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/alleged-australain-drug-baron-hakan-ayik-arrested-in-cyprus/story-e6frf7lf-1225976262239, (31.12.10).
NewsOK, OK-USA, “Christmas Guns Celebration Sunday”, 19.12.10. http://newsok.com/iraq-and-the-war-on-terrorism/article/3527207,
(31.12.10).

Pictures

Police in Italy, flamenetwork.org;  Hakan Ayik, flamenetwork.org;   gun profiles, keepschoolssafe.org; gun shop, eugines.info.

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