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Operation Ironside: Australian police foil bikie gang assassination attempt
The Australian police revealed a planned murder plot linked to Operation Ironside
The Australian police revealed two planned assassination attempts, both which they believe are linked to Operation Ironside.
The Comancheros bikie gang are allegedly behind one of the murder plots. The foiled plan included gunning down the target in a popular Adelaide cafe strip using a machine gun.
“The alleged victim was to be lured to a restaurant or cafe, and was to be gunned down when he left,” Assistant Commissioner Peter Harvey said.
Police say the gang suspected the intended victim was a police informant
“The victim, according to our intelligence, was one of their own… It’s unbelievable the level of violence and distrust amongst this group,” Assistant Commissioner Harvey said.
Police say Comancheros members hid the gun in some bushes.
“It was hidden in bushes, and it was also accompanied by two fully-loaded magazines, 32 rounds, all set to go,” Assistant Commissioner Harvey said.
“There was also some petrol nearby, gloves et cetera. All the markings of hiding the evidence of the killing after it happened, in other words burning the motorbike.”
Another plot included assassinating a target in their suburban home.
The $148 million crackdown on organised crime
Earlier this week, Australian police cracked down on the international drug trafficking ring. Operation Ironside targeted an encrypted communications app, which police were secretly monitoring.
The sting has led to hundreds of arrests of organised crime figures in 18 different countries. Mafia bosses, bikies, South American drug cartels, Asian triads, Middle Eastern and European crime syndicates were all caught up in the sting.
Police said they uncovered 21 murder plots and seized more than 3,000 kilograms of drugs and $35 million in cash.
ABC originally reported this story.
Investigators intercepted 25 million messages sent on the ANOM, viewing the communications in real time.
300 search warrants were carried out across Australia on Monday night, with simultaneous stings in the US and Europe, according to reports from the ABC.
Police say they have exposed the secret relationships between bikies and syndicates who were thought to be enemies.
“This is a watershed moment in Australian law enforcement history”
