9 ms·

Released footage of the police raid on the Kim Dotcom mansion

167 points by AhtiK 14y ago

exDM69 14y ago
I find it a little scary that Hollywood can order armed men in helicopters to raid a man's home, anywhere in the world.
- vasco 14y ago
  From the outside it kinda looks like New Zealand is just trying to make 'murrica happy on this one, so I'm not sure they would be so lucky elsewhere (ie not the UK/CAN/NZ)
- zeynalov 14y ago
  No, they can't do that everywhere. For example, in Sweden, China, Iran, France they would not be allowed to do that. It can be only done in anglo-american countries.
  - joshAg 14y ago
    the pirate bay might argue with you about sweden.
    - jdangu 14y ago
      and Julian Assange too.
- kokey 14y ago
  It would have been nice if Hollywood supplied them with a better camera. That said, the footage looks fine for an anti piracy ad, on VHS.
  - chris_wot 14y ago
    Actually, the footage looks great for an anti-copyright advert. "If you are suspected of copyright infringement, we send in police with weapons, in a helicopter".
- alinajaf 14y ago
  IIRC Accelerando (linked below) by HNs very own cstross postulated something similar in 2005. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerando_(novel) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerando_(novel)
  - jarin 14y ago
    Every time I see things like this, Accelerando is the first thing I think of. Also, if you like that, you'll probably like Life Artificial by David A Eubanks: http://lifeartificial.com/ http://lifeartificial.com/
  - AkThhhpppt 14y ago
    Yeah, but in that case the RIAA/MPAA had sold off the collections rights to organised crime. This is the _cops_.
    - tankenmate 14y ago
      But if the "state"(s) co-ordinates a raid that rests on illegal arrest warrants, is this not also organised crime?
- synth 14y ago
  INTERIOR, SOULLESS CORPORATE OFFICE. DUSK. A dark, sleek office room, filled with cigar smoke, expensive gadgets and designer furniture. The cigar smoke rises above Hollywood executive GOLDBERG like a whirlwind, framing his grinning face... He dials his Blackberry phone to the hum of his $9000 Dell PC, while leaning back into his chair a little. GOLDBERG (on the phone) Is this The Agency? UNKNOWN OPERATOR (v.o) (in a clearly american accent) How can I help you, Mister Goldberg? GOLDBERG I would like to order a raid. UNKNOWN OPERATOR (v.o) Yes sir, what do you want with it? GOLDBERG I want a heavily armed para-military squad, carrying the latest gear. I want two helicopters, half a dozen paddy wagons, the whole works. UNKNOWN OPERATOR (v.o) Would you like dogs with that? GOLDBERG Yes. UNKNOWN OPERATOR (v.o) Is the recipient an organization or an individual. GOLDBERG (smiles) Both. UNKNOWN OPERATOR (v.o) Alright, sir. Must be quite a party you're planning. GOLDBERG (ecstatically) Party? I'm about to destroy democracy as we know it! Nobody, henceforth, will ever be able to make millions off of stolen media without repercussions! GOLDBERG (looking at the viewer ominously) Nobody.
mtgx 14y ago
What if the guards started shooting at the police for tresspassing if they couldn't identify them in the first second of seeing them? Why did they have to use the helicopter?
- Negitivefrags 14y ago
  Wouldn't happen in NZ. I'm not even sure the guards would have guns at all. I don't think they would be allowed to have pistols. They might have shotguns I guess.
  - flog 14y ago
    I highly doubt any guard would have raised any opposition, given at least one of them was a serving police officer. src: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10825297 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&obj...
- jschuur 14y ago
  Unless you're a South American drug lord, I don't think that's how security guards work. You don't get to just shoot wildly at anyone approaching, unless you're being shot at. If Kim had trigger happy guards like that, that alone would seem a little suspicious. Who was he afraid of? For that matter, this is a pretty paranoid panic button setup: “I was on my bed, once the banging started, I pressed an alarm button that is situated right at my bed which was installed in case of an emergency. When I press that it automatically sends a signal to all security guards including Mr [Wayne] Tempero’s room including SMSs to everybody informing them there is an alert. Perhaps that's just standard operating procedure for a multi-millionaire. Full story in text: http://www.3news.co.nz/VIDEO-What-really-happened-in-the-Dotcom-raid/tabid/817/articleID/264651/Default.aspx#ixzz22wnfnuMl http://www.3news.co.nz/VIDEO-What-really-happened-in-the-Dot...
  - knowtheory 14y ago
    I mean... is it really that paranoid? Would it have been much different if instead of a button, it was an intercom system, and Dotcom queried his staff as to what the banging noise was? In one way it does seem comically super-villain-esque, but then, i wouldn't say that Dotcom's impulses were anything more dramatic than anyone hearing unusual noises in their home. It's just, most of us don't have a staff to query, or a saferoom to evacuate to.
redthrowaway 14y ago
So, there's an overblown police operation, using two helicopters, 5 paddy wagons, AR-15s, dogs, and a forceable takedown of a suspect deemed to be "low-risk", to serve an illegal warrant by a unit that NZ Police themselves describe [1] as "[providing] Police with the means of effectively and more safely responding to and resolving situations in which there is an actual or threatened use of firearms or other weapons against members of the public or Police." All of this was done so that K.C "couldn't destroy evidence" that he didn't have access to, in the first place. Forgive me, but who the hell planned this? It sounds so incredibly American, but I don't see why the NZPD would allow the FBI to dictate tactics like that. [1] http://www.police.govt.nz/service/aos/ http://www.police.govt.nz/service/aos/
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- moe 14y ago
  As we know the entire thing was a staged PR-move, to show them filthy pirates what they're getting themselves into ("We will track you down and get you anywhere!"). The overblown Raid was likely part of the script - or it happened out of anticipatory obedience. Try to see the positive in it; old money in the media mafia is literally kicking and screaming by now. They're in their death struggle. After this public humiliation it seems unlikely they will be able to pull similar nonsense at such a scale again. It must have cost them a fortune to pull those strings, and not only are they running out of fortunes, but the involved puppets will probably also ask double next time, due to the now obvious risk that something might fling up and stick to their name.
  - narag 14y ago
    After this public humiliation it seems unlikely they will be able to pull similar nonsense at such a scale again. They've destroyed Megaupload and got away with it. I' not sure I'd call the result "public humiliation", at least not for them.
    - exDM69 14y ago
antsam 14y ago
Kim seems a bit douchey at times but all the man power they put into this raid seemed a bit overkill.
- CodeCube 14y ago
  Without commenting on whether Kim is in the right or the wrong ... this whole thing was pretty disgusting. For a case where there are no drugs, no murders, nobody hurt, to storm in with weapons and detain women and children is pretty despicable. Completely unwarranted.
  - antsam 14y ago
    Well, he was really good at "Call of Duty" apparently. Maybe they were concerned about his "mad skillz?"
runn1ng 14y ago
The site is still overloaded, link to the video itself: http://flash.mediaworks.co.nz/tv3/streams/_definst_/News/20120808/cl_thetape_080812_700k.mp4 http://flash.mediaworks.co.nz/tv3/streams/_definst_/News/201... edit: OK, it works now, but well, you can have it as mp4 :)
runn1ng 14y ago
Well. To play the devil's advocate - when you listen to what Kim Dotcom says, it sounds like he has hell of a security on his place. In that light, the operation was not that overblown - especially when the officers couldn't know the exact details of his security.
- flyinRyan 14y ago
  He wasn't a drug dealer, he wasn't engaged in human trafficking. No mater what security he had, he didn't have anything that would be worth shooting at a cop over. This operation was beyond idiotic. Hollywood was trying to "make an example" here and it backfired massively.
  - flog 14y ago
    Let's hope they raid the homes of bankers in the same way.
- parfe 14y ago
  The night drop was not as smooth as planned. The 101st missed the drop zone and found themselves scattered over most of the back yard. Small units formed and conducted raids, where possible, taking the shed and guest house, but the primary objective remained unaccomplished. The transports dropped the first wave within sight of the massive compound but the gate loomed shut. The airdrop obviously failed to open a safe passage. Multiple twisted ankles resulted in 50% casualties but a squad of men reached the gate. A brave private, barely old enough to shave, rang the buzzer and asked "Hey mate, would you mind opening the gate? We have a warrant." Truly, New Zealand's greatest generation.
  - chris_wot 14y ago
    Not to mention, it took them 15 minutes to actually find Dotcom.
- jrockway 14y ago
  To play the devil's advocate -- it sounds like he would have surrendered himself to the police if they had just asked.
RyanMcGreal 14y ago
TV news in New Zealand spent a whole 10 minutes on the same story. That would be an unprecedented level of detail on an American news program.
- roc 14y ago
  *for any news story not involving a pretty young white woman.
taude 14y ago
So did they get Bin Laden or what?
lurkersmirker 14y ago
a/v 6/5, no sample wtf?
metatronscube 14y ago
Was the C-130 Gunship on standby circling overhead or something? Why were so many 'assets' thrown into a raid? Who sanctioned this? I would be looking for resignations and full hearing/inquiries into total miss allocation of resources.
gitarr 14y ago
This is a disgrace for New Zealand and as a European this whole ordeal has warned me plenty to not do any business there ever. The US who were obviously the ones in charge of NZ police and general "law" enforcement are another story. The world police has done their will again. Without thinking, without logic, without sense, but Hollywood money behind them.
- anthonyjs 14y ago
  This is most certainly not normal or accepted in NZ, and in case you missed it, the courts have ruled it was not legal, have asked the US to back up claims, and have not extradited Dotcom.
- vosper 14y ago
  The way this has been handled has been disgraceful, but this is a ridiculous reaction. I am a New Zealander (now in SF) so I'm biased, but New Zealand is a peaceful country [1], frequently rated as one of the least corrupt [2], with excellent freedom of press [3], and is relatively easy place to do business [4]. You could certainly do a lot worse. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Peace_Index http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Peace_Index [2] http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2011/results/ http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2011/results/ [3] http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2011-2012,1043.html http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2011-2012,1043.html [4] http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/new-zealand/ http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/new-zeala...
wtvanhest 14y ago
The real question is, why release the footage now? One likely reason is that they are loosing this case in the court of public opinion and this video may have been thought to make him out to look like "the bad guy".
- beedogs 14y ago
  It's so over-the-top though it seems to have had the opposite effect. The intro to the video indicates the footage came from a source within NZ law enforcement; perhaps he had a change of heart and felt the video needed to be seen.
  - wtvanhest 14y ago
    They may not have understood what effect it would have.
jstalin 14y ago
Two helicopters, AR-15s, police vehicles, dogs, ninja-clad police, FLIR, and beating him up all over...... copyright infringement. Does anyone else see a problem here?
- TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
  But everyone knows that Time Warner, Disney, 20th Century Fox, are all going bankrupt because of his terrible crime of running a file uploading site! Wait...
- grecy 14y ago
  I think it shows an interesting trend in our society, maybe something that will become more and more common. We now value money immensely, and have a lot of laws in place to protect not only the money we have, but the money we're trying to earn (see Apple v Samsung). Sooner or later, it could plausibly be a more serious offense to steal money, or the means of making money, than murder or child abuse.
adrianbye 14y ago
why did kim go to the red room alone, presumably leaving his wife and kids to be handled by the intruders?
- TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
  It doesn't sound like they were in the same room as him at the time (it seemed like they were on the other side of the house or something), and given the intruders, I'm not sure what else he could have done.
TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
Reminds me of this (acted) video, which is currently front-page on the pirate bay: http://www.political-prostitution.com/ http://www.political-prostitution.com/
dsolomon 14y ago
The raid was written by Michael Bay.
clientbiller 14y ago
Wonder if the recorded video was saved to megaupload... :)
swang 14y ago
He was, "low risk" but the police carried AR-15s and handguns, brought along with 2 helicopter units and apparently copyright infringement sniffing dogs. What a gross waste of police, as well as taxpayer money.
danielschonfeld 14y ago
I for one think this whole raid was made so that the media, and people around the world are distracted and ask the wrong questions while the real issue at hand is silently taken care of. There was probably a file, or a bunch of damaging data to the US government that has found it's way to megaupload.com and had to be eliminated without a trace so that it doesn't resurface at an inconvenient moment. The raid, the illegal warrants, the choppers and swat teams are all just a big show that will have people talking for years now while the FBI/CIA secretly got what they needed behind the scenes. Speaking of.... why is the FBI the one giving directions to NZPD... isn't this supposed to be a CIA operation if it's outside US borders?
chris_wot 14y ago
I can't believe they brought assault rifles to a raid for copyright infringement? What next - bazookas for shop lifters?!?! There was definitely political pressure from someone on this one - and I would definitely point the finger to someone within the United States.

167 points by AhtiK 14y ago

exDM69 14y ago

I find it a little scary that Hollywood can order armed men in helicopters to raid a man's home, anywhere in the world.

vasco 14y ago
From the outside it kinda looks like New Zealand is just trying to make 'murrica happy on this one, so I'm not sure they would be so lucky elsewhere (ie not the UK/CAN/NZ)
zeynalov 14y ago
No, they can't do that everywhere. For example, in Sweden, China, Iran, France they would not be allowed to do that. It can be only done in anglo-american countries.
- joshAg 14y ago
  the pirate bay might argue with you about sweden.
  - jdangu 14y ago
    and Julian Assange too.
kokey 14y ago
It would have been nice if Hollywood supplied them with a better camera. That said, the footage looks fine for an anti piracy ad, on VHS.
- chris_wot 14y ago
  Actually, the footage looks great for an anti-copyright advert. "If you are suspected of copyright infringement, we send in police with weapons, in a helicopter".
alinajaf 14y ago
IIRC Accelerando (linked below) by HNs very own cstross postulated something similar in 2005. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerando_(novel) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerando_(novel)
- jarin 14y ago
  Every time I see things like this, Accelerando is the first thing I think of. Also, if you like that, you'll probably like Life Artificial by David A Eubanks: http://lifeartificial.com/ http://lifeartificial.com/
- AkThhhpppt 14y ago
  Yeah, but in that case the RIAA/MPAA had sold off the collections rights to organised crime. This is the _cops_.
  - tankenmate 14y ago
    But if the "state"(s) co-ordinates a raid that rests on illegal arrest warrants, is this not also organised crime?
synth 14y ago
INTERIOR, SOULLESS CORPORATE OFFICE. DUSK. A dark, sleek office room, filled with cigar smoke, expensive gadgets and designer furniture. The cigar smoke rises above Hollywood executive GOLDBERG like a whirlwind, framing his grinning face... He dials his Blackberry phone to the hum of his $9000 Dell PC, while leaning back into his chair a little. GOLDBERG (on the phone) Is this The Agency? UNKNOWN OPERATOR (v.o) (in a clearly american accent) How can I help you, Mister Goldberg? GOLDBERG I would like to order a raid. UNKNOWN OPERATOR (v.o) Yes sir, what do you want with it? GOLDBERG I want a heavily armed para-military squad, carrying the latest gear. I want two helicopters, half a dozen paddy wagons, the whole works. UNKNOWN OPERATOR (v.o) Would you like dogs with that? GOLDBERG Yes. UNKNOWN OPERATOR (v.o) Is the recipient an organization or an individual. GOLDBERG (smiles) Both. UNKNOWN OPERATOR (v.o) Alright, sir. Must be quite a party you're planning. GOLDBERG (ecstatically) Party? I'm about to destroy democracy as we know it! Nobody, henceforth, will ever be able to make millions off of stolen media without repercussions! GOLDBERG (looking at the viewer ominously) Nobody.

mtgx 14y ago

What if the guards started shooting at the police for tresspassing if they couldn't identify them in the first second of seeing them? Why did they have to use the helicopter?

Negitivefrags 14y ago
Wouldn't happen in NZ. I'm not even sure the guards would have guns at all. I don't think they would be allowed to have pistols. They might have shotguns I guess.
- flog 14y ago
  I highly doubt any guard would have raised any opposition, given at least one of them was a serving police officer. src: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10825297 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&obj...
jschuur 14y ago
Unless you're a South American drug lord, I don't think that's how security guards work. You don't get to just shoot wildly at anyone approaching, unless you're being shot at. If Kim had trigger happy guards like that, that alone would seem a little suspicious. Who was he afraid of? For that matter, this is a pretty paranoid panic button setup: “I was on my bed, once the banging started, I pressed an alarm button that is situated right at my bed which was installed in case of an emergency. When I press that it automatically sends a signal to all security guards including Mr [Wayne] Tempero’s room including SMSs to everybody informing them there is an alert. Perhaps that's just standard operating procedure for a multi-millionaire. Full story in text: http://www.3news.co.nz/VIDEO-What-really-happened-in-the-Dotcom-raid/tabid/817/articleID/264651/Default.aspx#ixzz22wnfnuMl http://www.3news.co.nz/VIDEO-What-really-happened-in-the-Dot...
- knowtheory 14y ago
  I mean... is it really that paranoid? Would it have been much different if instead of a button, it was an intercom system, and Dotcom queried his staff as to what the banging noise was? In one way it does seem comically super-villain-esque, but then, i wouldn't say that Dotcom's impulses were anything more dramatic than anyone hearing unusual noises in their home. It's just, most of us don't have a staff to query, or a saferoom to evacuate to.

redthrowaway 14y ago

So, there's an overblown police operation, using two helicopters, 5 paddy wagons, AR-15s, dogs, and a forceable takedown of a suspect deemed to be "low-risk", to serve an illegal warrant by a unit that NZ Police themselves describe [1] as "[providing] Police with the means of effectively and more safely responding to and resolving situations in which there is an actual or threatened use of firearms or other weapons against members of the public or Police." All of this was done so that K.C "couldn't destroy evidence" that he didn't have access to, in the first place. Forgive me, but who the hell planned this? It sounds so incredibly American, but I don't see why the NZPD would allow the FBI to dictate tactics like that. [1] http://www.police.govt.nz/service/aos/ http://www.police.govt.nz/service/aos/

deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
moe 14y ago
As we know the entire thing was a staged PR-move, to show them filthy pirates what they're getting themselves into ("We will track you down and get you anywhere!"). The overblown Raid was likely part of the script - or it happened out of anticipatory obedience. Try to see the positive in it; old money in the media mafia is literally kicking and screaming by now. They're in their death struggle. After this public humiliation it seems unlikely they will be able to pull similar nonsense at such a scale again. It must have cost them a fortune to pull those strings, and not only are they running out of fortunes, but the involved puppets will probably also ask double next time, due to the now obvious risk that something might fling up and stick to their name.
- narag 14y ago
  After this public humiliation it seems unlikely they will be able to pull similar nonsense at such a scale again. They've destroyed Megaupload and got away with it. I' not sure I'd call the result "public humiliation", at least not for them.
  - exDM69 14y ago

antsam 14y ago

Kim seems a bit douchey at times but all the man power they put into this raid seemed a bit overkill.

CodeCube 14y ago
Without commenting on whether Kim is in the right or the wrong ... this whole thing was pretty disgusting. For a case where there are no drugs, no murders, nobody hurt, to storm in with weapons and detain women and children is pretty despicable. Completely unwarranted.
- antsam 14y ago
  Well, he was really good at "Call of Duty" apparently. Maybe they were concerned about his "mad skillz?"

runn1ng 14y ago

The site is still overloaded, link to the video itself: http://flash.mediaworks.co.nz/tv3/streams/_definst_/News/20120808/cl_thetape_080812_700k.mp4 http://flash.mediaworks.co.nz/tv3/streams/_definst_/News/201... edit: OK, it works now, but well, you can have it as mp4 :)

runn1ng 14y ago

Well. To play the devil's advocate - when you listen to what Kim Dotcom says, it sounds like he has hell of a security on his place. In that light, the operation was not that overblown - especially when the officers couldn't know the exact details of his security.

flyinRyan 14y ago
He wasn't a drug dealer, he wasn't engaged in human trafficking. No mater what security he had, he didn't have anything that would be worth shooting at a cop over. This operation was beyond idiotic. Hollywood was trying to "make an example" here and it backfired massively.
- flog 14y ago
  Let's hope they raid the homes of bankers in the same way.
parfe 14y ago
The night drop was not as smooth as planned. The 101st missed the drop zone and found themselves scattered over most of the back yard. Small units formed and conducted raids, where possible, taking the shed and guest house, but the primary objective remained unaccomplished. The transports dropped the first wave within sight of the massive compound but the gate loomed shut. The airdrop obviously failed to open a safe passage. Multiple twisted ankles resulted in 50% casualties but a squad of men reached the gate. A brave private, barely old enough to shave, rang the buzzer and asked "Hey mate, would you mind opening the gate? We have a warrant." Truly, New Zealand's greatest generation.
- chris_wot 14y ago
  Not to mention, it took them 15 minutes to actually find Dotcom.
jrockway 14y ago
To play the devil's advocate -- it sounds like he would have surrendered himself to the police if they had just asked.

RyanMcGreal 14y ago

TV news in New Zealand spent a whole 10 minutes on the same story. That would be an unprecedented level of detail on an American news program.

roc 14y ago
*for any news story not involving a pretty young white woman.

taude 14y ago

So did they get Bin Laden or what?

lurkersmirker 14y ago

a/v 6/5, no sample wtf?

metatronscube 14y ago

Was the C-130 Gunship on standby circling overhead or something? Why were so many 'assets' thrown into a raid? Who sanctioned this? I would be looking for resignations and full hearing/inquiries into total miss allocation of resources.

gitarr 14y ago

This is a disgrace for New Zealand and as a European this whole ordeal has warned me plenty to not do any business there ever. The US who were obviously the ones in charge of NZ police and general "law" enforcement are another story. The world police has done their will again. Without thinking, without logic, without sense, but Hollywood money behind them.

anthonyjs 14y ago
This is most certainly not normal or accepted in NZ, and in case you missed it, the courts have ruled it was not legal, have asked the US to back up claims, and have not extradited Dotcom.
vosper 14y ago
The way this has been handled has been disgraceful, but this is a ridiculous reaction. I am a New Zealander (now in SF) so I'm biased, but New Zealand is a peaceful country [1], frequently rated as one of the least corrupt [2], with excellent freedom of press [3], and is relatively easy place to do business [4]. You could certainly do a lot worse. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Peace_Index http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Peace_Index [2] http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2011/results/ http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2011/results/ [3] http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2011-2012,1043.html http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2011-2012,1043.html [4] http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/new-zealand/ http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/new-zeala...

wtvanhest 14y ago

The real question is, why release the footage now? One likely reason is that they are loosing this case in the court of public opinion and this video may have been thought to make him out to look like "the bad guy".

beedogs 14y ago
It's so over-the-top though it seems to have had the opposite effect. The intro to the video indicates the footage came from a source within NZ law enforcement; perhaps he had a change of heart and felt the video needed to be seen.
- wtvanhest 14y ago
  They may not have understood what effect it would have.

jstalin 14y ago

Two helicopters, AR-15s, police vehicles, dogs, ninja-clad police, FLIR, and beating him up all over...... copyright infringement. Does anyone else see a problem here?

TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
But everyone knows that Time Warner, Disney, 20th Century Fox, are all going bankrupt because of his terrible crime of running a file uploading site! Wait...
grecy 14y ago
I think it shows an interesting trend in our society, maybe something that will become more and more common. We now value money immensely, and have a lot of laws in place to protect not only the money we have, but the money we're trying to earn (see Apple v Samsung). Sooner or later, it could plausibly be a more serious offense to steal money, or the means of making money, than murder or child abuse.

adrianbye 14y ago

why did kim go to the red room alone, presumably leaving his wife and kids to be handled by the intruders?

TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
It doesn't sound like they were in the same room as him at the time (it seemed like they were on the other side of the house or something), and given the intruders, I'm not sure what else he could have done.

TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago

Reminds me of this (acted) video, which is currently front-page on the pirate bay: http://www.political-prostitution.com/ http://www.political-prostitution.com/

dsolomon 14y ago

The raid was written by Michael Bay.

clientbiller 14y ago

Wonder if the recorded video was saved to megaupload... :)

swang 14y ago

He was, "low risk" but the police carried AR-15s and handguns, brought along with 2 helicopter units and apparently copyright infringement sniffing dogs. What a gross waste of police, as well as taxpayer money.

danielschonfeld 14y ago

I for one think this whole raid was made so that the media, and people around the world are distracted and ask the wrong questions while the real issue at hand is silently taken care of. There was probably a file, or a bunch of damaging data to the US government that has found it's way to megaupload.com and had to be eliminated without a trace so that it doesn't resurface at an inconvenient moment. The raid, the illegal warrants, the choppers and swat teams are all just a big show that will have people talking for years now while the FBI/CIA secretly got what they needed behind the scenes. Speaking of.... why is the FBI the one giving directions to NZPD... isn't this supposed to be a CIA operation if it's outside US borders?

chris_wot 14y ago

I can't believe they brought assault rifles to a raid for copyright infringement? What next - bazookas for shop lifters?!?! There was definitely political pressure from someone on this one - and I would definitely point the finger to someone within the United States.