FC: Australian cops nab Jim Bell-quoting online anarchist

[Declan McCullagh <i () wired com>]

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Background: http://www.politechbot.com/cgi-bin/politech.cgi?name=proffr
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From: "Gardiner, Ashley" <GardinerA () heraldsun com au>
To: "'declan () wired com'" <declan () wired com>
Subject: We've got your man!
Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2001 18:46:24 +1000
MIME-Version: 1.0
        
I thought the following story, to be published in the Melbourne Herald Sun
tomorrow (June 5) may be of interest to you. It concerns "proffr", who you
wrote about two weeks ago (May 15, "Online Cincy Cop Threats Probed")

Regards,
Ashley Gardiner

By ASHLEY GARDINER

AN M1 protester used the Internet to promote a scheme to raise bounty money
for the assassination of public figures, a court heard yesterday.

Kyneton Magistrates' Court was told Matthew Stephen Taylor made death
threats addressed to Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon.

Internet messages allegedly sent by Mr Taylor, 46, of Baynton St, Kyneton,
have also come to the attention of the Australian Federal Police and the
United States Secret Service, the court heard.

Mr Taylor was charged with two counts of criminal damage last Friday.

One charge relates to the vandalism of a McDonald's fast food outlet in
Collins St.

Three new charges of disobeying the directions of prison management were
laid yesterday.

Sen-Constable Nicholas Conte told the court he obtained photographs and
video footage of Mr Taylor committing acts of vandalism.

The footage includes Mr Taylor telling a Herald Sun reporter to read
messages he uploaded to an Internet site under the alias "Robin Banks", the
court heard.

Threatening messages on the website, Melbourne Indymedia, had been traced
back to Mr Taylor's Kyneton address, the court heard.

Sen-Constable Conte told the court Mr Taylor had written about
"assassination politics", a movement with US origins, which involved the
raising of funds and payment to an assassin.

"When sufficient funds are raised, people are asked to assassinate (a
particular) person," Sen-Constable Conte said.

"I believe (Mr Taylor) supports this cause by comments he has made on the
Internet."

The court was told the American proponent of assassination politics, Jim
Bell, has been convicted by a United States court of threatening federal
officials.

Mr Taylor named a number of Victoria Police officers on the Internet who
should be assassinated, Sen-Constable Conte said.

The court heard Mr Taylor had posted a message directed at Chief
Commissioner Christine Nixon saying "your blue storm troopers will be 'flash
fried'."

Directing his comments at Ms Nixon, Mr Taylor also allegedly wrote: "some of
your pigs are wasting time ... they might be better off fetching your
doughnuts."

Under questioning from defence lawyer Cameron Ford, Sen-Constable Conte said
no deaths had resulted from assassination politics.

Magistrate William Gibb granted Mr Taylor bail provided he refrain from
publishing threatening messages on the Internet.

Mr Taylor, who the court heard has no criminal history, was ordered to
appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on August 16.

ENDS

(The story, most likely with a photograph of Taylor, will appear at
www.heraldsun.com.au in about five or six hours from now.)




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