seriously? SNL Osama got through TWO security checkpoints?

Osama 'chased' at APEC

ELEVEN members of The Chaser have tonight been charged after causing the first embarrassing APEC security blunder. [This is the Australian SNL, for those not in the know.]
Among those charged under new APEC legislation was Chaser Chas Licciardello, who dressed as Osama bin Laden and managed to ride a fake motorcade through two police cordons into the red zone.

Licciardello and the other were charged with “enter restricted area without justification” after the bogus motorcade made it down Macquarie Street into the fenced off area not far from the Intercontinental Hotel where President George W Bush is staying.

“While it appears it was a prank, the current APEC security environment isn’t the place to do it in,” said Detective Superintendent Ken McKay, head of the APEC Investigation Squad. “Who they are is irrelevant – they were charged like anyone else who breaks the law.”

All were granted conditional bail and are due to appear in Downing Centre Local Court on October 4.

The team from the satirical TV program The Chaser's War on Everything were in a convoy of three cars and two motorbikes which was reportedly ushered through two checkpoints in Sydney's APEC security "red'' zone.

The convoy was pulled over in Macquarie Street on a block adjacent to the InterContinental Hotel, where US President George W Bush is a guest during the APEC summit.
"It's fair to say we never intended to break the law, if we have broken the law, which we don't think we have done," said Chaser Craig Reucassel.
Despite their arrest, The Chaser managed to get their footage back to the studio. A team of ABC staffers have been arguing with detectives as to the legality of them being in the area.

As a result of today's breach, new measures were being added to what he described as a multi-layered security operation.
"I'm not embarrassed at all. What I am is very angry that such a stunt like this would be pulled,'' Mr Owens said.
"We have 21 world leaders here and while I enjoy, like everyone else, a good laugh, this wasn't funny.''
NSW Police Minister David Campbell said he was particularly disappointed The Chaser production team had disregarded specific requests from police not to go too far in their pursuit of satire.

"I don't see a funny side to what's happened today. I don't see a funny side at all,'' Mr Campbell said.
"I'm extremely concerned people would take the sense of security so lightly.''
Mr Campbell refused to criticise the police who reportedly waved The Chaser team through checkpoints. He congratulated officers who made the arrests.
"They presumably were, as is the nature of their show, aiming to humiliate a lot of well-known people.

"In my particular case on this one, I managed not to see them, so it just shows how lucky you can get,'' Mr Downer said, smiling.
"The point is they were in any case arrested, so I think the security works.''

Explaining how they executed their stunt, Chaser members said they had dressed up a convoy to look like an official Canadian motorcade, on a day during which a number of official motorcades crossed the city.

Southern Cross Broadcasting reported that the convoy carrying the Chaser team passed "through two checkpoints around the hotel before one of The Chaser pranksters jumped out (dressed) as Osama Bin Laden''.

"They had been waved through, they had three cars ... big black Hummer-style cars decked out with Canadian flags on the front,'' a reporter said.
"A couple of Chaser team members were in the back of each of these cars and rest of the team were dressed up as bodyguards.

"As many as 11 people were detained and two of those were Chaser team members.''