More on G20 Story

I noted yesterday in an essay....that the German cops are doing a fair number of raids that relate back to the July G-20 Summit, and the riots.  These young men who assembled and did a lot of damage in Hamburg....are now targets of a German federal investigation.

So I noted this morning....one of the raids took place here in Hessen....in Marburg.  A 20-year old is accused.  A second raid took place across the river in Neuwied. 

Cops say over all of the 23 search operations....close to 600 cops were involved.

Taken so far?  Twenty-six laptops/computers, thirty-five cellphones, and a number of USB sticks.

What happens now?  If there was a conspiracy to plan this out....the top level of this group has to be fairly worried over where this is going.  Obviously, the cops are using the federal law created to go after terrorists and using it in a fashion to go back and look at data exchanges/conversations.  These riot-punks weren't expecting the cops to do much more.  Now?  Well.....this is a new game.

My guess is that a couple dozen folks who haven't been hit yet with raids.....are busying dumping all their laptops/USB sticks.  The reality here is that there probably will be enough data on the 26 laptops taken to shuffle more folks into court.  Some of these folks are probably already calling up lawyer support and asking questions over how to protect themselves.  Some of these folks will even start to get paranoid that they are being watched (when they aren't being watched). 

The cops say that they've got 165 full-time police who are working the 'Hamburg-action', and there are potentially around 3,000 folks in their sights. 

The other thing brought up, which rarely gets any public notice....is that they've already entered into court action over some Hamburg riot folks.....with seven cases wrapped up and the those facing a fair amount of prison time.  Roughly twenty folks were given suspended sentences....although it came with the condition of between six and twenty-one months of 'good-boy' time which means you'd best not commit any other trouble in that period, or you would go direct to jail. 

The sad thing here....is that most of these anti-capitalist thugs who showed up in Hamburg...likely connect back to a university-track, and have a career in front of them.  These are not craftsman-types or truck-drivers....but educated 'punks'.  Just getting dragged down into some court and facing six months in prison might destroy their career path.  It's hard to figure what enjoyment they got out of the whole riot episode.