Bikers Brawl In Australian Airport; 1 dead

A man has been bludgeoned to death by a group of Australian motorcycle gang members in full view of dozens of people at Sydney airport.

Witnesses described bikers swinging poles “like swords” at each other’s heads as the brawl spilled over two floors of Sydney’s domestic terminal.

Four suspects have been arrested and the others are said to have fled.

Police believe the fight broke out when one group of bikers coming off a plane was ambushed by a rival gang.

Police did not name any gangs thought to be involved, but Australian media reported that the brawl, on Sunday afternoon, was between the Hell’s Angels and Comancheros gangs.

A 28-year-old man died in hospital from severe head injuries.

Police said about 15 gang members were involved in the fight, which was witnessed by about 50 people.

‘Group of cowards’

Witnesses described how the gang used the metal bollards in the check-in area as weapons.

“They started grabbing the metal poles that break up the check-in area and swinging them almost like swords at each other’s heads,” Naomi Constantine told Australia’s ABC news.

“I saw one of the men lying on the ground and another man came up with a pole and just started smashing it into his head.”

Local police chief Peter Williams called the attack a “disgraceful act perpetrated by a group of cowards”.

“A group of males have exited a plane and they were met by another group of males who we believe may be other motorcycle gang members,” Detective Inspector Williams told reporters.

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Homeland Security Plans For Violence On US Border

Tighter gun control and stronger law enforcement in Southwestern states were recommended Thursday by lawmakers concerned about drug violence in Mexico possibly spilling across the border.

The escalating violence — which has killed thousands, mostly south of the border — has been blamed on Mexican drug cartels which one Homeland Security official described as the biggest organized crime threat facing the United States.

Roger Rufe, Homeland Security’s head of operations, outlined the agency’s plans for protecting the border, a response that includes — as a last resort — deploying military personnel and equipment to the region if other agencies are overwhelmed.

Echoing comments a day earlier from President Barack Obama, Rufe said there currently was no need to militarize the Southwestern border with Mexico, despite violence that threatens to migrate into the United States.

“We would take all resources short of DoD (Defense Department) and National Guard troops before we reach that tipping point,” Rufe told lawmakers on a House homeland security subcommittee. “We very much do not want to militarize our border.”

Rufe did not specify what circumstances would trigger a call for troops.

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General: Drug Cartels Are Linked To Terrorism

The head of the U.S. National Guard Bureau,  Gen. Craig McKinley said the link between terrorism and drug cartels along the United States’ border with Mexico is increasingly clear.

He went on to say the National Guard will be critical in helping protect the United States in the event of a terrorist attack and the growing threat of violent drug cartels operating along the Southwestern border with Mexico.

McKinley said the drug cartels in Latin America are clearly connected to organized criminal groups who support and funnel money to terrorist organizations.

“The Southwest border is one of the most critical areas in the nation right now,” McKinley said.

“The nature of the drug cartels along the Southwest border is becoming increasingly menacing, and the linkages between drug cartels through organized crime back to terrorist organizations cannot be disputed.”

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U.S. Citizen Beheaded In Apparent Mexico Drug Hit

A U.S. citizen was one of the three men who were found decapitated this week in Tijuana, Mexican authorities said Friday.

The body of George Harrison, a 38-year-old former Chula Vista resident, had been dismembered and mutilated and was dumped in a vacant lot near Tijuana’s beachside bullring.

Authorities said they suspected that it was an organized crime hit.

Harrison had several drug-related convictions in the United States and was suspected of drug trafficking in Mexico, Baja California Assistant Atty. General Rafael Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said Harrison had been living in the Tijuana area since his release from a U.S. prison six months ago. He owned a pizzeria in Tijuana, from which he was abducted, Gonzalez said.

Authorities who searched Harrison’s business found four weapons, including a .38-caliber handgun.

Alongside the bodies, authorities discovered a taunting narco-message similar to others left at crime scenes in the battles among rival organized crime groups

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