Gang squad probe car fire-bombing at bikie lawyer's Port Kennedy home

 

POLICE say they are yet to establish a firm motive after the overnight firebombing of a car at a Port Kennedy property owned by prominent bikie lawyer Malcolm Ayoub. Police and firefighters were called to the house in San Sebastian Boulevard at 12.25am this morning after reports molotov cocktails had been thrown at the house, damaging a car. The house is co-owned by Mr Ayoub, a criminal lawyer who acts for several Rock Machine bikies, including sergeant-at-arms Brent Reker, 26, and Stefan Pahia Schmidt, 25, who is accused of murder after allegedly throwing a man out from an upstairs window of the Ocean Beach Hotel in May. PerthNow understands the vehicle sustained minor damage. On Friday, Reker and another man were convicted extorting $2000 from two young men they claimed were boasting about having links with the Rock Machine. Reker, 26, and tattooist Kyle Adam Barry, 28, were found guilty in Perth District Court of two counts of demanding property with oral threats. It is not clear if this morning's firebomb attack relates to Friday's court verdict or the ongoing tit-for-tat war between the Rock Machine and the Rebels bikie gangs. Assistant Commissioner Nick Anticich this afternoon told PerthNow police were yet to establish a motive for the attack, but officers were focussing on recent court cases involving the victim. ``At this stage, we have nothing concrete as to who has done this or why it has happened,'' Mr Anticich said. Gang Crime detectives were assisting in the investigation, which is being led by Rockingham detectives, he said. ``If strong gang links emerge, then the Gang Crime Squad will take a more active role in the investigation.'' Police have repeatedly warned that the Rebels and Rock Machine gangs are at loggerheads since the Rock Machine set up its national headquarters in WA about two years ago and a Rebels member who was removed from the club later joined the Rock Machine. While police say the feud relates to a turf war over drug distribution networks, those close to the Rebels say the issue is not drug-related but merely a ``clash of personalities'' between members. The Rebels, which has about 50 members and four clubhouses in WA, is Australia's biggest bikie gang. The Rock Machine, a Canadian-based gang, has about 20 known members and a clubhouse in Myaree. The Rock Machine, a Canadian-based gang, is notorious for a violent turf war with the Hells Angels in Canada in the 1990s, which left 162 people dead, including an 11-year-old boy who was killed by shrapnel from a car bomb explosion.

'Bikie links' to torched industrial unit

 

Police have revealed a property damaged in a suspicious fire in Sydney's west on Sunday night is linked to a motorcycle gang. Emergency services were called to the industrial unit at Mount Druitt about 11:00pm AEST. Police say the blaze caused extensive damage to the ground floor and second-storey office areas. Chief Inspector Bill Pearce says the gangs squad has been called in. "We believe that the premises are owned or leased or rented by persons who are associated with a motorcycle group and as a result of that we're following certain lines of inquiry in relation to the fire which we believe is certainly suspicious," he said.

Explosives, steroids seized in Comancheros bikie raids

 

 explosives have been uncovered at the home of a Comancheros bikie after police raided two properties in their hunt for a gunman. The raids come after up to five rounds were peppered bullets into a Darch house - where Comancheros bikies live - on Wednesday. Gang Crime Squad detectives today descended on a house in Tangmire Way, Balga where they allegedly discovered 1kg of powergel, an explosive commonly used in the mining industry. Senior police said intelligence suggested the powergel could have had the potential to cause significant damage or even death. ``It's approximately 1kg in weight and could cause extreme damage or loss of life if it was primed and detonated,'' Detective Superintendent Charlie Carver said. A police raid of a gym in Wellman St, Northbridge - which has become the Comacheros' headquarters - allegedly unearthed steroids, including four viles of testosterone and 17 viles of growth hormones. Related Coverage Darch: Bikie war: House, car sprayed with bullets Explosives seized in Bikie raid Bikie war: House, car sprayed with bullets Perth Now, 1 day ago Man faces drug charges after bikie raid Perth Now, 18 Aug 2011 Bikies 'accessing secret police files' Perth Now, 18 Jul 2011 Hells Angel arrested in steroid raids Perth Now, 14 Jul 2011 Bikie 'threatened to shoot victim' Adelaide Now, 8 Jul 2011 No one was at the clubhouse at the time of the raid and police inquiries are continuing into the steroid seizure. Det-Supt Carver said today's action was a direct response to this week's shooting in Darch, but stressed police did not believe the Comancheros were involved in cross-club rivalry. On Wednesday, up to five shots were fired into a house and car in Matlock Heights, Darch, around midnight - fuelling bikie hostilities. The front door and a front window of the house were damaged in a hail of bullets, along with a white car parked in the driveway. Two men and a woman, who police say have links to the Comancheros, were inside the house at the time but were not injured. ``We know that bikies by nature are fighting for drugs, supremacy, territory and monies,'' Det-Supt Carver said. ``They are a fledgling club and they are trying to establish themselves and obviously that causes conflict.'' A 27-year-old Balga man, a Comancheros nominee, has been charged with possessing explosives. No one has been charged over the Darch shooting. The Comancheros, a notorious gang in New South Wales, have been attempting to gain a foothold in WA for 18 months. The gang is renowned for violence, including the brawl at Sydney airport last year which left a Hells Angels associate dead, and the infamous Milperra massacre in 1984 in which seven people were killed. But Det-Supt Carver said police were winning the war on bikies in WA, saying there were nine gangs in WA in 2007 and now there were just six. He said police had all but decimated the Rock Machine and had temporarily dismantled the Finks with five members jailed over the Kwinana Motoplex brawl in October. Comancheros from Sydney and Melbourne have moved to WA to help recruit locals to the gang, he said. In February, police uncovered more than 50 sticks of powergel and detonators during a raid of the Rock Machine's Myaree headquarters.

Bikies love to fortify their clubhouses with large gates, reinforced doors and state-of-art electronic security.

 

TRADITIONALLY most police don't like working on bikies and for good reason. The gang leaders are usually cunning, ruthless and a little whiffy in the armpit department. The Special Operations Group, on the other hand, always enjoy a good bikie raid as it gives them a chance to use their extremely impressive armoury of boys' toys. Bikies love to fortify their clubhouses with large gates, reinforced doors and state-of-art electronic security. Police have even seen some of them wearing infra-red night goggles while patrolling their compounds. Advertisement: Story continues below Bikies usually need such security to protect themselves from other gangs, but this creates problems when police wish to make unannounced visits. Enter the SOG (both figuratively and literally) with the answer. Once it was as easy as attaching a heavy chain to the gates and gunning the four-wheel-drive. Then they needed an industrial-strength bobcat. Now they think laterally to gain access. Such as when one gang barricaded the doors, the boys-in-black used a small amount of plastic explosives to blow a big new entrance in the side brick wall. And they didn't even charge for the ad-hoc renovation. Once an outlaw motorcycle gang leader spotted a former SOG member in a rare off-duty moment at an inner-suburban pub. The bikie suggested the policeman was not so tough now that he worked in the divisions and no longer had access to his black bag of tricks. He then suggested they continue discussions outside. The result was the bikie woke to find his jacket displaying the club colours had been replaced by a plain hospital gown. And the next man he saw wearing a mask was not a gang brother with a knife coming to his rescue but an orthopaedic surgeon with a hacksaw planning to reset several shattered bones. So what's the big deal with bikies? (And before every ''bad dude'' with a pair of leather pants and a 100cc step-through scooter splutters on his multi-grain cereal, we are talking about outlaw motorcycle gangs.) In Victoria, there are only 700 or so patched members in 24 gangs split into 56 chapters. On pure numbers they would lose a war with Rotary - particularly if the Rotarians were armed with that blue cheese they serve at monthly meetings. The Hells Angels was the first of the major groups to gain a foothold in Australia when a small chapter with 11 members was formed in Melbourne in the early 1970s. By 1977, according to a secret police report, they ''came under attention of the police for possession of amphetamine''. Soon foundation member Peter John Hill travelled to California, where he visited a prison to see a senior Angel who told him how to make speed. For three years, police say, the Melbourne chapter became the biggest amphetamine producers in Australia. From that point, a litany of key bikies have been identified as connected to organised crime and linked to murders, witness intimidation, blackmail, drug manufacture, industrial standover work and firearms trafficking. Then something strange happened. Police, for whatever reason, stopped monitoring the gangs. In recent years bikies have had a disproportionate influence in the underworld and have been able to flout the law with apparent immunity. On club runs they appear to have little regard for road rules and, more disturbingly, the police have done stuff-all to stop them. When your corespondent attended a major bikie funeral a few years back, there was not a policeman to be seen. When the service ended, 400 bikies roared off in procession, with few wearing helmets, giving the impression they were untouchable (and unwashable). Bikie crimes are rarely reported because either the victims are (a) rival gang members who won't talk to police, or (b) members of the public too frightened to make statements. So, without a dedicated outlaw motorcycle gang squad, no one really knew what they were doing. It was an old police trick. If you don't look you don't find the problem, and if you don't find the problem you don't have to respond with expensive investigations. That was until six months ago, when the Echo bikie taskforce was formed. Now the landscape has changed markedly. Police now openly admit that bikies are a potential menace that require active and aggressive investigation. Detective Superintendent Doug Fryer points out that this does not mean harassment, nor does it mean police think most members of bikie groups are up to their hairy armpits in organised crime. (Actually that's not quite right. Many bikies have gone all metrosexual and wax up, so these days they have designer stubble to match their designer drugs.) ''They need to know they will be treated the same as any other group and they must comply with the law,'' Fryer says. Recently the Black Uhlans gang told police they would not be wearing helmets during a major ride following a Geelong funeral. Police gently but firmly pointed out this would be a breach of the traffic code. To back the point, 200 police were assigned for the ride. The bikies wore helmets. ''We now have the numbers to make sure laws will be enforced,'' Fryer says. And these are not empty words. Echo has conducted 50 raids and seized stun guns, rifles, handguns, ballistic vests, stolen bikes, drugs and counter-surveillance gear. And the SOG was able to blast through a triple brick side wall at one club house, which they enjoyed immensely. According to the Echo Taskforce chief, Acting Inspector Chris Murray, the first step is to react quickly to crime ''spot fires'' while developing an intelligence base to target those involved in organised crime. ''We need to actively monitor what is going on so we can investigate serious crime and defuse potential gang wars when there is a build-up in inter-gang rivalry,'' he says. It also, he says, requires a change of attitude within policing to stress that bikies should be treated like anyone else. ''This is not us versus them. So far our approach has been accepted without animosity.'' Not that Echo and the Hells Angels are likely to have a friendly game of croquet any time soon. ''If any of our members are intimidated or threatened there will be consequences,'' he says, adding quickly, ''Within the law.'' This is a welcome change. Not so long ago a detective who worked on a bikies investigation learned a gang member drove his Harley-Davidson to visit the detective's neighbour at his semi-rural property. He asked for the policeman by his first name, to be told he lived next door. No threat was left but the message was clear: ''We know where you live.'' The new approach is already filtering from Echo to rank-and-file police. Just a few weeks ago a group of Comancheros decided they could ride up an emergency lane without consequences. They were pulled over - by a lone uniformed policeman, who was soon backed by Echo investigators. ''We are training all our members, from recruits up, so they can have confidence in dealing with members of outlaw motorcycle gangs because we are here to support them,'' Fryer says. Asset forfeiture laws will also be used. Unemployed bikies with flash cars and investment properties will soon be asked some stern questions. And if illicit funds have been used to build gang clubhouses, they may be seized. The traditional defence of bikies is to launch a PR campaign to suggest they are rough diamonds who have been badly misjudged. While it is true some bikies collect soft toys for sick kids and are kind to small animals, that hardly outweighs removing a rival's big toe with bolt cutters. After all, Judy Moran could make a mean macaroni cheese but that won't get you to heaven if you kill your brother-in-law. According to Assistant Commissioner Graham Ashton, ''Charity bike runs for example are used to create the impression in the community that they are misunderstood motorbike enthusiasts. At the rate Taskforce Echo is currently seizing guns and drugs from these gangs, they are anything but.'' The bikie groups want to present a united front to fight proposed anti-gang laws they claim are biased against them. International corporations know it is vitally important to pick the right ''face'' to promote your image. Nespresso Coffee has George Clooney; Louis Vuitton, Sean Connery; and TAG Heuer, Brad Pitt. The bikies are about to settle on a fellow called Mick MacPherson as their likely spokesman. This is certainly an interesting choice since he has been described as a Finks enforcer who has been questioned over a cocaine importation and, just recently, had the misfortune to be shot in the guts.

Police probe bikie link in shooting

 

A feud between rival bikie gangs was believed to be behind the targeted shooting of a home and car in Perth's northern suburbs overnight. Detectives this morning are investigating the shooting, which occurred at a home in Matlock Heights, Darch, just after midnight. Serious and organised crime Superintendent Charlie Carver told 6PR Radio the shooting was a targeted attack on the property. Advertisement: Story continues below He said the assailants parked their vehicle at the end of the street before walking up to the home and firing five shots into the home and a car parked in the driveway. Three shots were fired into the front lounge room window, one into a window frame and the fifth into the Nissan Coupe. Two men and a woman, who were believed to have links to the Comancheros outlaw motorcycle gang, are still being interviewed by police at the property. Inspector Mal Anderson said the two men were known to police and were not cooperating with investigating officers. A .45 calibre handgun was suspected to have been used to fire five shots into the front of the home and a car parked outside Inspector Anderson said neighbours reported hearing loud voices shortly before the shots were fired. A number of spent cartridges were found outside the home and will be subject to examination. Inspector Anderson said police would be searching for the occupants of a dark red Toyota Hilux that was seen leaving the scene without its headlights on. Neighbours were said to be shaken after the shooting with one witness telling Channel Ten the street was generally quiet although the same home had been targeted in a break-in several weeks ago. Windows were reportedly smashed in the break-in at the property however it was not clear if that was related to the shooting. Major crime squad and forensic officers were at the property this morning and the organised crime squad has also arrived at the scene adding further weight to the claims the shooting was related to a bikie feud. One neighbour told Channel Ten three people were seen running from the property shortly after the shots were fired, before fleeing in the Toyota Hilux. Channel Ten reported the home had high security, including several cameras, installed outside the property. Police were expected to make a statement on the incident shortly.

Puddy in heated call to murder-accused

 

The best mate of missing multimillionaire businessman Craig Puddy has told a Perth court of a heated phone conversation between Mr Puddy and the bar manager accused of killing him. Cameron James Mansell, 39, is on trial in the West Australian Supreme Court for the murder of Mr Puddy, 45, who has not been seen since May 3 last year when he was allegedly killed in his $3.5 million Mt Pleasant home. Mr Puddy was part-owner of a bar called Basement On Broadway, in which he had invested $700,000, and Mansell was the manager. Defence lawyer Anthony Eyers has said Mansell fled the state after witnessing a "brutal" attack on Mr Puddy over a drug debt. But Prosecutor Bruno Fiannaca alleges Mr Puddy and his business partner, Martin Rogers, believed Mansell was mismanaging the bar and stealing money from the safe, which led to a confrontation between Mr Puddy and Mansell. Mr Puddy's "best mate" Paul Vesa told the court on Wednesday he was present on the morning of May 3 when Mr Puddy took a call from the National Australia Bank telling him the rent on the bar had not been paid and the bank was going to foreclose on the lease. He said Mr Puddy left a message for Mansell and called Mr Rogers to ask him why the rent had not been paid. When Mansell returned Mr Puddy's call, Mr Vesa heard his friend say, "Oh, you decide to f***ing ring me now?" Mr Vesa also said Mr Puddy seemed in "disbelief" that Mansell had suggested money was missing from the bar safe because Mr Puddy had taken it. Mr Puddy's sister, Nadine Puddy, told the court earlier on Wednesday that although her brother used cocaine and ecstasy "on social occasions" he did not like to associate with drug dealers. Ms Puddy said her brother became involved in the bar as an "indulgence" but he became unhappy about the running of the bar and wanted to sell it. Ms Puddy, her mother, Mr Vesa and a few friends went to Mr Puddy's house on May 4 after no one had heard from him since the previous night. She saw "bright red spots splattered" on a wooden chopping board in the kitchen, and when she looked up to the ceiling, she saw what she knew for sure was blood. The prosecution alleges Mansell hit Mr Puddy on the head with a blunt object at least twice before putting his body in a wheelie bin and disposing of it at an unknown location. The trial before Justice Michael Murray and a jury continues.

Police blast bikies' recklessness after shots fired

 

Neighbours on a quiet Darch street feared for their lives after shots were fired at the home of a Comanchero bikie gang nominee early yesterday. Det-Supt Charlie Carver said that two men and a woman, aged in their 20s, were watching TV in a back room of their Matlock Heights home just after midnight when three men tried to force their way inside. The trio fired up to five shots at the front door and window and at a car parked outside. "They are co-operating to a certain extent but I will say the code of silence . . . involved in organised crime is prevalent," Det-Supt Carver said. One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said she ducked inside her house as the shots were fired. "We heard yelling and screaming, and banging on windows and doors, then we heard one gunshot and three quick ones," she said. "My husband called the police. When we came back to the window to have a look, they were gone." Det-Supt Carver said there were up to a dozen security cameras around the heavily fortified house, and windows and doors were fitted with security mesh. He slammed bikie gangs for their disregard for the safety of the community. "There have been numerous incidents where they use firearms with no regard for other people," he said. Det-Supt Carver said that the Comancheros did not have a big presence in WA. Police are looking for a vehicle described as a dark red HiLux-type utility with shiny bar work on it.

THE Labor Party pub in South Australia that hosted strippers and welcomed bikies has closed and may be sold.

The Colac Hotel in Port Adelaide. The Advertiser

ALP state secretary Kyam Maher said the party terminated the lease of the Colac Hotel in Port Adelaide because tenant Goldedge Holdings had failed to pay rent and had not responded to formal notices for payment. He said the pub would remain closed until the party decided what it would do with it.

"We just don't know what we will do, we will need to get some advice on what all the options are," he said.

Mr Maher confirmed the party was considering selling the property but would consider all options under a review that was expected to take "a few months".

The legal matters surrounding the eviction are being handled by Griffins Lawyers, now headed by former ALP state secretary Michael Brown, who is also a former director of the company that owns the pub.

The ALP bought the pub in the 1970s as a way of securing future income.

Financial returns lodged with the Australian Electoral Commission show the party received $339,961 in rent from the pub between 2005/06 and 2009/10 - although it is expected to have benefited by at least another $80,000 in 2007/08, when no financial return was lodged.

Josip Plesa, the sole director of the evicted tenant, could not be contacted last week and inquiries made of the company's registered office at Goodwood were told Mr Plesa was not known at that address.

Mr Plesa is reported as welcoming hundreds of bikies protesting against anti-association laws with a sausage sizzle in 2009, dismissing any concerns his landlord may have had with his "business opportunity".

The Colac Hotel caused more discomfort for Labor that year when $62,000 was transferred from the hotel to reimburse former federal MP Rod Sawford for costs relating to a defamation case concerning the sale of the Cheltenham Racecourse - branded "an improper purpose" by Labor's State Executive.

The payment sparked the transfer of ownership of the hotel from the party's local branch to the State Executive.

Former state secretary Michael Brown did not end the strip nights once the transfer had been made, saying management of the hotel was the responsibility of the tenant.

Bikie link to pit bull racket

 

HIGHLY organised criminals including bikies are using pit bulls as weapons amid claims of an illegal importation racket in Australia. At least 100 staffies are allowed into the country each year on little more than a promise they're not pit bulls. Police sources say many pit bulls in Victoria are unregistered and owned by criminals. "They use them like weapons," one source said. "Council rangers won't get close to them." An associate of the Bandidos bikie gang is known to keep one. Criminal sources in Victoria have told the Herald Sun of an international importation scheme whereby pit bulls are brought to Australia from the US. The dogs are described by importers on official Customs papers as staffordshire terriers, whose physical characteristics strongly resemble pit bulls.  The dogs are believed to originate from a pit bull breeder in the Pennsylvania town of Reading. They are promoted online and typically enter Australia through Western Australia, where they are bred and distributed, often to criminal elements, around the country. Customs figures show WA is a key entry point for staffordshire terriers. Last year, 29 of the 102 staffies brought into the country arrived in WA, compared with 16 in Victoria, 15 in Queensland and 31 in NSW. So far this year, 19 dogs have entered Australia through WA - more than any other state. Customs officers require a signed declaration from a vet and from those importing dogs attesting to the breed. The agency was unable to say whether it had ever stopped a pit bull at the nation's borders. The racket exploits confusion over how pit bulls are identified. Revelations of the hardcore criminal aspect of pit bull ownership will test the effectiveness of the Victorian Government's crackdown on dangerous dogs. The Government has set up a dangerous dog hotline, increased penalties and enhanced powers for council dog catchers following the fatal attack by a pit bull cross on St Albans girl Ayen Chol. A 27-year-old man required plastic surgery after a staffordshire terrier mauled him in Berwick this week.

alleged member of the Notorious outlaw motorcycle gang is due in court tomorrow on charges related to firearms

 

alleged member of the Notorious outlaw motorcycle gang is due in court tomorrow on charges related to firearms found at a Castle Hill storage unit earlier this year. Gangs Squad detectives who arrested and charged the 24-year-old man allege he is a high-ranking member of the organised criminal group. He is facing several firearm and possession charges as well as drug charges. The charges relate to a search warrant conducted by police at a storage facility in Castle Hill on March 28. Police allegedly found three firearms, loaded magazines, two silencers and a quantity of ammunition. He is due before Penrith Local Court tomorrow. Strike Force Ventilate comprises detectives from the State Crime Command’s Gangs Squad and was established to investigate a number of alleged violent incidents involving Comanchero Outlaw Motorcycle Gang and Notorious organised criminal group members and associates.

Bikie arrested on firearms charge

Crime Gangs Task Force members yesterday afternoon arrested a 30-year-old member of the South Australian Chapter of the Finks Motorcycle Gang at his home address at Paralowie.

Police say it is alleged that Crime Gangs Task Force members conducted a search of the man's home where they located a .357 revolver buried in his rear yard.

'During the search police also located a quantity of .357 ammunition buried in another location within the rear yard,' police said.

'The man was charged with firearms offences including possession of a prescribed firearm and possession of insecure ammunition.

'He was bailed to appear in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court on 12 October 2011.

'A 27-year-old woman of the same address was also reported for firearms offences including possession of a prescribed firearm and possession of insecure ammunition and will appear in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court at a later date.'

Seventh man charged over alleged attempted extortion - SCC Gangs Squad

 

Gangs Squad detectives have charged a seventh man following investigations into an alleged attempted extortion. About 10am today (Thursday 8 September, 2011), a 37-year-old man was arrested by police. Police allege he is an associate of the Hells Angels Outlaw Motorcycle Gang. He was subsequently charged with demand money with menaces and participating in a criminal group. He was granted conditional bail to appear at Burwood Local Court on 28 September. The charges relate to an alleged attempted extortion on 8 July, 2011. Strike Force Embark was established to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged theft of vehicles from the Burwood car yard just before 3pm on Thursday 7 July 2011, as well as an attempted extortion on 8 July and an attempted extortion on Monday 11 July.

 

Book Review: The Brotherhoods: Inside The Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs by Arthur Veno

 

Believe it or not, those mean, bad-ass outlaw motorcyclists that scare the piss out of middle America are referred to as “bikies” in Australia. I think if you went up to a member of the Hell's Angels in the U.S. and called him a "bikie" you would get your ass whipped pronto. But that is about the only difference between the biker gang member down under from any of his brothers around the world. Professor Arthur Veno has been studying the outlaw bikie phenomenon since 1981, and has been granted remarkable access by the Aussie clubs over the years. His new book The Brotherhoods: Inside The Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs is the result of his research, and provides a fascinating insight into their world. The obvious comparison would be to Hunter S. Thompson’s 1966 Hell’s Angels: A Strange And Terrible Saga. But they are two fundamentally different books. Where Thompson got inside the club out and rode with the Angels, Veno takes a different approach. Although it is obvious that he has gotten to know some members well enough to be trusted with certain things, he is always an outsider. The Brotherhoods certainly does not shy away from the subjects that make the outlaw bike culture so dangerously intriguing. With chapters such as “Bombs And Bastardry,” “On The Nose: Clubs And Drugs,” and “Chicks And Ol’ Ladies,” there are plenty of examples of outrageous behavior. The book has a definite voyeur appeal. While most of us do not wish to live the life, it is fascinating to view from a distance. The look of The Brotherhoods is particularly appealing, for it is filled with pictures. It is so beautifully put together, with a faux leather cover, and tons of photos as to make a great coffee-table book. The tea and crumpets crowd would probably salivate over it too. Ever since The Wild One film, and the emergence of the Hell's Angels, the outlaw bike culture has seemed to be a strictly American affair. The Brotherhoods shows us that the lifestyle has permeated every corner of the globe. It is a captivating study with some amazing photographs, and definitely worth a look.

Rebels bikers spend night at motor camp

 

Members of the Australian outlaw biker gang the Rebels rode into Taranaki at the weekend. Police say up to 12 bikers, believed to be patched members of the Rebels, arrived in Stratford on Friday, stayed overnight at a motor camp and left the next morning. Members of the public contacted the Taranaki Daily News, believing the police had stopped the gang on New Plymouth's Coronation Ave about 1pm. But that was a different group of bikers of mainly locals, police said. The force was on alert after three Taranaki-based patched Rebels members were arrested last week in a police drug operation. Detective Sergeant Charlie Kawana, of New Plymouth CIB, said police were aware of the group that arrived in Stratford.

NSW businesses warned of travelling conmen

 

Residents and businesses in NSW are being urged to be on the lookout for travelling conmen and itinerant domestic gangs. A nationwide crackdown aims to have scammers who visit Australia seasonally removed from the country and barred from re-entering, as well as local gangs that travel around conning people. NSW Fair Trading Minister Anthony Roberts on Monday warned of conmen specialising in scams such as bitumen laying, roof painting and back-of-truck dealings on electronics. "We want to catch these crooks, hold them accountable for their crimes and keep the market fair and free of rip-offs," he said in a statement. "What we are dealing with is organised, criminal activity that creates market distortions as legitimate businesses face unfair competition." The conmen structure their operations so consumers are often unable to get remedies in courts, consumer tribunals or through dispute resolution. They are the focus of a new nationwide strategy finalised at the Ministerial Council on Consumer Affairs in Canberra earlier this year. "All Australian consumer protection jurisdictions are working together under the new Australian Consumer Law with concerted, nationally coordinated operations using new prosecution powers and remedies," Mr Roberts said.

OUTLAW bikie gangs have been meeting secretly to plan a fightback against new laws and police raids.

Bikie organisations are meeting to discuss a fightback against new laws.   News Limited

Finks enforcer Mick MacPherson, whose luxury Eureka Tower apartment was raided by police last Friday, is touted to become the official spokesman for the United Motorcycle Council Victoria (UMCV).

It will represent most of the 28 motorcycle clubs across the state.

Notorious bikie gangs including Hells Angels, Bandidos, Comancheros and Rebels are on the council.

Police sources say it is seeking legitimacy by recruiting law-abiding clubs such as the God Squad and Vietnam Veterans.

The Herald Sun can reveal MacPherson and members from other clubs are meeting fortnightly and reporting to other bikies around the nation.

At its last meeting at a Brighton hotel, members of the newly formed UMCV abused and threatened staff and police had to be called.

At a court hearing on Friday, MacPherson was given bail by a magistrate after he was arrested during raids on the Finks' Port Melbourne clubhouse and his rented luxury 38th floor apartment with panoramic views across the city.

Police executing the search warrant allegedly discovered gun paraphernalia and also found MacPherson was suffering from a gunshot wound to the stomach.

Australian Federal Police, assisted by the Echo Taskforce, are investigating MacPherson over a 1.1kg stash of cocaine that entered the country in August.

It was seized from air freight, which arrived in Sydney about the same time as MacPherson was shot in the stomach and turned up at a Victorian hospital.

MacPherson refused to co-operate with investigators about his gunshot wound.

The martial arts expert was said to be annoyed the shooting had interrupted his "ultimate fighting matches".

MacPherson arrived in Melbourne last month from Adelaide after a battle with the South Australian Government over anti-bikie laws.

He was placed on a control order as part of that state's crackdown, but was instrumental in having the laws scrapped in a legal row that reached the High Court.

Victoria did not introduce anti-association laws, which were considered unconstitutional.

But the State Government is working towards a suite of laws to clamp down on outlaw motorcycle clubs involved in organised crime.

Premier Ted Baillieu campaigned for tougher laws at the last election to deter bikie clubs from setting up in Victoria, declaring the state had become a haven for bikies fleeing other states.

Queensland's UMC spokesman Russell "Camel" Wattie said the Victorian council was preparing to fight for their "rights".

"Yes that's right, they're established and meeting fortnightly," he said.

"They're talking about issues down there to fight Ted Baillieu's hard line.

"They are noticing an increase in police attention.

" We need to be prepared ... as soon as the government makes a move."

I didn't know airport victim was being killed: bikie

The president of the Commanchero Motorcycle Club, Mahmoud (Mick) Hawi, insisted today he had not been involved in the death of a man at Sydney Airport in 2009 despite being shown a photo that placed him at the scene of the fight.

Mr Hawi, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Anthony Zervas on March 22, 2009, said he did not even see the fight at the airport when Mr Zervas was hit by a bollard.

Five other Commanchero members have pleaded not guilty to murder before Justice Robert Hulme in the Supreme Court at Parramatta.

Advertisement: Story continues below
A member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, with which Anthony Zervas was associated, is standing trial for riot and affray.

Crown prosecutor Natalie Adams asked: "What I am suggesting to you is that a number of Commancheros assaulted the deceased and towards the end of the assault you were the one who hit him with the bollard."

Mr Hawi: "No."

Ms Adams: "Can you tell the court you had no idea he was being killed at the airport that day?"

Mr Hawi: "On my oath, Ma'am."

Mr Hawi said he had been involved in a scuffle with Anthony Zervas and his brother Peter Zervas before the fatal fight and that was behind the check-in counter at the airport.

Eleven other Commancheros and five Hells Angels were there but the other Commancheros had all run away and he had been left fighting Peter and Anthony Zervas by himself.

He said someone had pulled off Anthony Zervas and he himself had run; he had just wanted to get out of the terminal.

Ms Adams: "Are you suggesting that not a single member of the Commancheros tried to help you?"

Mr Hawi: "Yes."

Mr Hawi said that he believed that Anthony and Peter Zervas had tried to kill him and he had suffered a wound on his hand that had been bleeding.

Ms Adams put it to him that what had really happened was that there been a brawl between the Commancheros and Hells Angels behind the check-in counter and they had all "tumbled through", including Anthony Zervas.

Mr Hawi: "No, Ma'am."

Ms Adams: "And at some stage he [Anthony Zervas] managed to get away and he was chased?"

Mr Hawi: "I cannot agree with that."

Ms Adams: "At some stage he hit the floor?"

Mr Hawi: "I cannot remember."

Ms Adams: "He was chased by the Commancheros till he hit the ground? He was assaulted by a large number of Commancheros?"

Mr Hawi: "I did not see the assault."

Ms Adams: "He fell to the floor and he was hit with bollards?"

Mr Hawi: "I did not see it."

Ms Adams: "You went over there and you were part of the final assault?"

Mr Hawi: "No, Ma'am."

Ms Adams: "You used a bollard?"

Mr Hawi: "Never used a bollard."

Ms Adams pointed out that though Mr Hawi claimed to have been injured on the hand, he had not shown the injury to police when they charged him two weeks later and not one drop of his blood had ever been found at the airport.

The trial continues.

 

MEN linked to outlaw motorcycle gang the Rebels have been arrested in a series of raids uncovering guns, drugs and hydro equipment today.

Two men were arrested after drug and firearm warrants were executed on four properties early this morning in Bendigo and Redesdale as part of Taskforce Echo's crackdown on bikie gangs.

A pistol, a sawn-off shotgun, long arm rifle, amphetamines, cannabis and hydro equipment were uncovered.

Police arrested two Redesdale men aged 28 and 37, who are both currently assisting police with enquiries.

Acting Inspector Darren Wiseman said it was a "good result'' the drugs and weapons were taken off the street.

"We will continue to target this type of criminal behaviour to ensure the Bendigo community is a safe place.''

Sixth man charged over alleged attempted extortion

Gangs Squad detectives have charged a sixth man following investigations into an alleged attempted extortion at a Burwood caryard.

About 2.30pm today (Wednesday 17 August, 2011), a 52-year-old man was arrested by police with assistance from Corrective Services.

He was taken to a nearby police station and charged with demand money with menaces and participating in a criminal group.

He remains in custody and will appear at Burwood Local Court tomorrow (Thursday 18 August 2011). The man is an alleged senior member of the Hells Angels OMCG.

A subsequent search warrant was also executed by police today at a unit on Pitt Street in Sydney’s CBD, where police located and seized an amount of a prohibited substance, believed to be cocaine. .

During the warrant police also arrested a 33-year-old man, an alleged member of the Hells Angels OMCG. He was taken to City Central Police Station and charged with possess prohibited drug

He was granted bail to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on 7 September 2011.

Gangs Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Arthur Katsogiannis said squad members were committed to the continued investigation and prosecution of members of Outlaw Motor Cycle Gang's or Organised Criminal Networks participating in illegal activities.

“Today’s developments follow ongoing investigations into an alleged extortion in which five men approached a car yard on Parramatta Road at Burwood about 3.30pm on Monday 11 July 2011, and allegedly demanded money,” Detective Superintendent Katsogiannis said. .

The five men aged 24, 26, 27, 29 and 30, were arrested at the scene and taken to Campsie Police Station where they were charged.

Strike Force Embark was established to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged extortion as well as an alleged incident at the Burwood car yard just before 3pm on Thursday 7 July 2011, in which a number of luxury cars were driven from the premises.

 

BIKIE member is expected to be charged over two separate shootings earlier this year

Police raided a house in Wetherill Park, in Sydney's southwest, yesterday.

They found three shotguns, three rifles and a large amount of ammunition along with a small amount of cocaine and steroids.

Police also seized several pieces of Hells Angels clothing.

A 21-year-old man was arrested and taken to Wetherill Park Police Station where he was interviewed before being released.

Police expect charges to be laid after forensic testing is done.

"It will be further alleged the man is a member of the outlaw motorcycle gang," police said in a statement today.

The arrest relates to the June 30 shooting in the western Sydney suburb of Merrylands and the shooting in the eastern suburb of Dover Heights.




Police had been called to a home in Holdsworth Street, Merrylands after residents reportedly heard gun blasts.

They arrived to find the front of the home riddled with bullet holes although a woman, 47, and a boy, 7, escaped injury.

Less than 24 hours later, forensic officers went to a home in Dover Heights after bullet casings were found on the footpath.

Police believe the two houses were shot at on the same night.

Strike Force Bairstowe, comprising detectives from Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad, was formed to investigate both shootings.

Associate of Hells Angels outlaw motorcylce club charged with firearm offences

AN ASSOCIATE of the Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle club has been arrested in relation to alleged firearm offences including AK-47 assault rifles.

Officers from NSW Police Force's Strike Force Raptor have been making inquiries into firearm licence holders and safe storage inspections are being conducted.

"On Friday 12 August, 2011 officer’s attended Claremont Street, Merrylands where a safe storage inspection was conducted. During the inspection police allegedly noticed the safe was not adequately secured and also identifying two AK-47 assault rifles, which are prohibited weapons.

"A 43-year-old man was issued with a notice of suspension for his firearms licence and police seized four other rifles."

The man will be issued with a Future Court Attendance Notice for two counts of possess prohibited weapon and not keep firearm safe.



Strike Force Raptor was established by the State Crime Command’s Gangs Squad in 2009 and is a proactive, high-impact operation targeting outlaw motorcycle gangs and their alleged associated criminal enterprises.

 

an attempt by provincial justice officials to officially designate the Indian Posse as a criminal organization

THEY are Winnipeg's largest street gang, boasting a vast membership that has spread throughout Manitoba and even into other provinces.
But an attempt by provincial justice officials to officially designate the Indian Posse as a criminal organization has fallen short in court.
A high-ranking gang member pleaded guilty last month to charges of assault and uttering threats. In exchange, the Crown dropped the unique offence of participating in a criminal organization, which carries its own set of additional penalties upon conviction.
Jeff Bruyere, 43, was sentenced to 18 months of time already served during the hearing on Peguis First Nation, according to court records. No explanation was given for the dropped charge, which was believed to be the first of its kind against an Indian Posse member. Previously, only members and associates of the Hells Angels had faced such an allegation.
Bruyere was arrested in July 2009 for a violent incident in Peguis, located about 150 kilometres north of Winnipeg, which was alleged to be motivated by gang activity. He admitted to threatening, kicking and hitting a woman who apparently owed a $640 drug debt, court was told. A beer bottle was also smashed over her head.
Bruyere went to a house party the woman was at and told her "he was a high-ranking member of the Indian Posse street gang and not one to be messed with," said Crown attorney Courtney St. Croix. The victim was then attacked by several people, including Bruyere.
She suffered serious injuries that required treatment in hospital, including having her right eye swollen shut.
Two co-accused remain before the courts.
Bruyere's troubles with the justice system are far from over. He remains in custody on a charge of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the May 2006 death of Sheldon McKay inside Stony Mountain Institution.
Bruyere and four co-accused were charged last year following a lengthy RCMP investigation into what is believed to be a gang-related slaying. None of the allegations have been proven, and they are presumed innocent.

Rock Machine prospect recently told Winnipeg police that his involvement in the city’s ongoing biker war is “a badge of honour”

A Rock Machine prospect recently told Winnipeg police that his involvement in the city’s ongoing biker war is “a badge of honour” that he’s ready to die for.

That and other details of the criminal feud between the Rock Machine and Hells Angels, as well as their affiliate clubs, came to light Friday during the bail hearing for Amanda Freeman, a 23-year-old Lorette woman who was arrested Tuesday along with two Rock Machine prospects, including her boyfriend.

Court heard that Freeman, her boyfriend Guy Stevenson, and another man named Joseph (J.J.) Choken were in Freeman’s Dodge Avenger Tuesday, accused of circling a home on Antrim Road in East Kildonan.

Crown prosecutor Brent Davidson told court Stevenson and Choken are known members of the Vendetta Crew, an associate club of the Rock Machine, and that both are considered prospects for the parent club.

Police were watching the house on Antrim Tuesday after receiving a tip that Rock Machine associates were going to target the house and their rivals within.

Fearing something violent was about to happen, the surveillance officers intercepted the Avenger, causing a collision that injured a few of the officers.

Police seized a loaded handgun that was inside a bag in the back seat and a document listing the address they’d been watching. They also seized four photos of local Rock Machine members from one of the men’s wallets.

Davidson said Stevenson wasn’t shy about discussing the gang war when giving his statement to police.

“I don’t think there’s any contention that he’s not a gang member. He admits it clearly in his statement,” Davidson told court. “He says the war is ongoing. He says it’s a badge of honour. He says he’s willing to die for this cause.”

“For Ms. Freeman to come and say ‘I’m simply a girlfriend and my guy is a bad guy and I didn’t know’ simply flies in the face of reality,” he said.

Freeman withdrew her bail application at the tail end of her hearing Friday due to a scheduling concern with the sitting judge, but is expected to re-apply during a new hearing Monday morning.

Jailed Pagan pleads guilty to 2008 attack on rival

Steven "Gorilla" Mondevergine is heading back to prison after pleading guilty Monday to aggravated assault and weapons offenses in the shooting and stabbing of Timothy "Casual" Flood, a rival leader of the Pagans Motorcycle Club, more than three years ago.
Flood, who began cooperating with authorities in 2009, may also be providing information about other acts of violence in the biker underworld, including the January 2005 slaying of a leader of Hells Angels. Authorities have declined to comment about that case.

The Common Pleas Court hearing Monday wrapped up charges leveled last year against Mondevergine. They were believed to be based almost entirely on information supplied by Flood.

Under a plea agreement, Mondevergine, 57, was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison by Common Pleas Court Judge Earl W. Trent.

In exchange for the guilty plea, Assistant District Attorney Brian Grady said his office agreed to drop an attempted-murder charge.

Mondevergine, a former Philadelphia police officer, said little during the hearing, but waved and smiled at family members who had crowded into two rows of the 10th-floor courtroom.

He has been held on $1 million bail since his arrest at his mother's apartment in Washington Township, Gloucester County, in December.

The plea and sentencing came as Mondevergine was about to stand trial for the Jan. 30, 2008, assault in a home in Northeast Philadelphia that authorities said served as a clubhouse for the Pagans.

Flood, 49, was the club president at the time and was part of a group that authorities say was trying to force Mondevergine to give up his colors and relinquish his role as a member of the organization.

At a preliminary hearing this year, Flood testified that he was sitting on a couch in the clubhouse when Mondevergine burst into the room, shot him in a knee, and then stabbed him in the back.

The attack occurred during a period of high tension within the biker underworld.

Several other beatings and shootings were linked to a dispute between the Pagans and Hells Angels, which was attempting to establish a foothold in Philadelphia, long Pagans territory.

Federal authorities, who took part in Mondevergine's arrest in December, are continuing an investigation into the 2005 murder of Thomas Wood, who was gunned down as part of that biker war.

Wood, 36, was a vice president of Hells Angels and one of the top club members in the Philadelphia area. He was killed when the pickup truck he was driving near Vare Avenue and the Schuylkill Expressway was strafed with gunfire from a passing SUV.

No one has been charged in that case, but the arrest of Mondevergine last year led to speculation that authorities were making progress in the Wood slaying.

The key, several sources have said, could be Flood. Flood began cooperating after he was named along with 50 other bikers in a broad racketeering indictment that targeted Pagans activity on the East Coast.

While the case was based in West Virginia, Flood was one of several local Pagans named. He eventually pleaded guilty to a gambling charge and has been cooperating since, according to law enforcement sources.

One of his first acts as a cooperator was to finger Mondevergine as the man who shot and stabbed him. When the incident occurred, Flood told authorities he had been attacked in the parking lot of a bar and did not know his assailant.

Sources said the FBI has also questioned Flood about the Wood shooting.

Grady, the prosecutor in the Mondevergine case, declined to comment Monday about Flood's status as a witness, but said the Wood homicide was "under investigation by the FBI

 

Cop seriously injured in biker war investigation

city police officer received a serious upper body injury in a takedown of a car early Tuesday that resulted in the seizure of a loaded handgun.

The officer, who is a member of the tactical support team, is in stable condition in hospital, police said. Police didn't release his name, age or rank.

The car, a Dodge Avenger, was stopped around 12:30 a.m. as part of police efforts to deal with the feud between the Rock Machine and the Hells Angels-affiliated Redlined Support Crew.

Police said the Dodge tried to flee and ended up hitting three police vehicles. Two other officers with the tactical team were injured, but were treated and released from hospital.

Officers recovered a loaded handgun from the car, police said.

Joseph Jordan Carl Choken, 19, and Guy Wesley Vernon Stevenson, 21, have both been charged with unsafe transport of a firearm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, unauthorized possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle and possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition.

Choken is also charged with possession of ammunition contrary to a probation order, and it appears he was wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant.

Stevenson is also charged with three counts of breaching probation, and several additional firearms charges.

A 23-year-old woman from Lorette, Man., is charged with failing to have a licence and a registration certificate for a firearm. Police didn't release her name.

At a briefing Tuesday morning, police suggested the case is linked to the conflict between rival outlaw motorcycle gangs, but a spokeswoman refused to specify how.

 

Bashed broadcaster Michael Laws has laid the blame for his assault in a Wanganui bar on the local Hells Angels gang

Bashed broadcaster Michael Laws has laid the blame for his assault in a Wanganui bar on the local Hells Angels gang - which he says is "petty, pathetic and cowardly".

Mr Laws suffered a black eye and lost several porcelain dental veneers when he was hit at Caroline's Celtic bar at about 11.30pm on Friday.

Police are investigating and told the Herald they had not identified the man responsible for the assault.

A spokeswoman said the assault was not serious, but police were trying to find CCTV images from the area to help identify the culprit.

But Mr Laws, who alerted media to the assault through an emailed statement on Sunday afternoon, shared his own theory on Radio Live yesterday.

He told listeners witnesses had told him they were "95 per cent certain" the man who hit himwas a Hells Angel gang member or associate.

"That would figure. Hells Angels are not the soundest people in the world, to be perfectly honest with you, and they are cowardly.

"The Hells Angels, they'll do their little bit for intimidation.


"It's always petty, it's always pathetic, it's always cowardly and it's always done never to your face. And they always run away."

Mr Laws told the Herald after the show that witnesses had come forward with the information about the attacker and he would pass it on to police.

"One has identified an alleged gang associate, connected with Hells Angels. I am not able to confirm that information but would not be surprised.

"A Hells Angel member has also boasted publicly of a rock being thrown through my children's bedroom window earlier, and there have been other intimidatory incidents including an earlier incident in 2005 when I was out walking with my two youngest kids and two patched gang members rode at me and shouted obscenities."

On air Mr Laws said because of his part in the success of anti-gang legislation in Wanganui, he had been targeted by local gangs - but it was usually a verbal attack or rude gesture.

"Gangs are cowards. That's why people join gangs. They're losers in life and they join a gang."

Mr Laws said the assault was unacceptable and every New Zealander should be able to go about their business "without fear of assault or affray".

He was at the bar with "an attractive young blonde", and was walking over to check out the band that was playing when he was "blindsided" by a man in a hoodie.

"It's the shock of being hit that always gets you."

Two Finks bikies have been arrested over the shipment of military-style guns from Adelaide to Sydney.

Police said on Tuesday the two guns were found hidden under the boot lining of a car that was stopped at Campbelltown in February this year.

One had been modified to be fully automatic but jammed repeatedly when tested, Detective Inspector Steve Taylor of the Crime Gangs Task Force said.

Ongoing investigations resulted in the arrest and extradition to Adelaide of a 33-year-old man from Kellyville, in Sydney's west in July.

He was charged with two counts of acquiring a firearm and was allowed to return to NSW as part of his bail conditions.

Last week a 39-year-old man from suburban Adelaide was also arrested and charged with two counts of supplying a firearm.

He appeared before the Adelaide Magistrates Court on August 5 but did not apply for bail.

He was due to return to court on Tuesday.

Insp Taylor said the shipment of guns was "fairly typical" of bikie gangs and organised crime syndicates.

"Organised crime tends to go hand-in-hand with guns and drugs," he said.

Two Comancheros bikie gang associates have been charged as a result of an assault at a Northbridge nightclub in May.

Police allege the assault happened just after midnight on May 28 in the upstairs bar of the Library.

One of the men allegedly punched the victim in the jaw, knocking him unconscious.

Police say the victim fell to the floor and the other man kicked him in the head as he lay there.

The unconscious man, who is a 25-year-old from Victoria Park, ended up with concussion, a swollen jaw and a cut elbow.

The gang crime squad charged a 22-year-old Kiara man and a 20-year-old Dianella man with assault occasioning bodily harm.

Both men will appear in Perth Magistrates Court on August 23.

Troy Mercanti leaving prison in a Finks gang jumper emblazoned with "violence" would be illegal under the Government's anti- association laws to be introduced soon,

Troy Mercanti leaving prison in a Finks gang jumper emblazoned with "violence" would be illegal under the Government's anti- association laws to be introduced soon, Attorney-General Christian Porter suggested yesterday.

Mr Porter said the Bill, which would allow courts to declare bikie gangs criminal organisations, was "close to being ready" and he hoped to introduce it this year.

In a display the Opposition branded attention seeking and offensive, Mercanti left Casuarina Prison on Tuesday in a Finks jumper with the club slogan "attitude" and "violence" splashed on it.

He was then greeted with bear hugs from up to eight associates wearing Finks colours.

Mr Porter said once a club was declared a criminal organisation under the laws, anti-association orders could be slapped on members to stop them meeting.

"Bikie gangs gain a lot of their force and are able to engage in a lot of their criminal practices by virtue of the fear and intimidation they create by banding together, wearing colours, being readily identifiable and this helps with a whole range of criminal activities such as standover tactics," he told ABC radio.

"If you make it a penalty for people to identify themselves with a group that's been declared a criminal organisation . . . you take away a very large part of the reason for being in a bikie gang."

Mr Porter said a High Court decision in NSW a few weeks ago paving the way for groups to be declared criminal organisations had provided a blueprint for the WA laws.

Opposition police spokeswoman Margaret Quirk said the writing on Mercanti's jumper would be offensive to the person he was jailed for assaulting in 2008.

"It's clear that prison has not had a rehabilitative effect," she said.

Ann O'Neill, director of crime victim support group Angelhands, said many victims of violent crimes would find the release of their attackers traumatic regardless of what they were wearing.

Mercanti was questioned by South Australian police when he flew to Adelaide on Tuesday night.

No motive yet for bikie gang clubhouse fire

Police say they do not have a motive for a fire which caused extensive damage at a clubhouse of the Rock Machine bikie gang in a southern Perth suburb.

Police say petrol was doused inside the Parkinson Lane premises in Kardinya and set alight just after midnight.

Damage to the building and gym equipment inside is estimated at $60,000.

Police say they do not know if the incident is linked to a fire that damaged a Rebels bikie gang clubhouse last month.

The Rock Machine gang is engaged in a long-running feud with rival Rebels.

Tensions between the gangs escalated in March this year when Rebels chief Nick Martin was shot outside his home in Balcatta.

A 30 year-old member of the Rock Machine has been charged with attempting to murder him.