VIDEO: The Special Forces Raid on Kim Dotcom's Mansion

[drummer]

We're finally afforded a peek at how the raid on Kim Dotcom's home was carried out.

It's been nearly eight months since police raided Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom's home in New Zealand, but the legal battle is far from over. One of the most talked about aspects of this case is the raid that resulted in the arrest of Dotcom at his home in Auckland, New Zealand. Dotcom has long claimed that unnecessary force was used during the raid and a couple of months back, a New Zealand court ruled that the search warrants used were actually invalid. So what actually happened that day in January 2012?

Well, you can see for yourself, as New Zealand TV network 3News has released footage of the raid shot by the helicopters used to drop special forces personnel into the courtyard of Kim Dotcom's mansion. While the coverage doesn't actually take us inside the house, it does allow us a glimpse of just how many police officers were present that day and what kind of weapons they were packing. You can also hear police communications via the helicopter's radio.

The video itself is interspersed with statements from Dotcom that describe what happened that night. Interestingly enough, one officer interviewed by Dotcom's lawyer said that they didn't wear full tactical gear because the situation was 'low-risk,' yet those present were armed with semi-automatic weapons. Dotcom says he was kicked and punched once police located him inside the house. This is despite his claims that when they entered the room, he held up his hands and did not move away.

Check out the video for yourself below:

[h3rm35]

I hate to say it but... what law-enforcement or military personell aren't armed with semi-automatic weapons? do they even make guns that don't eject their own shell-casings and re-chamber anymore? Hell - even a lot of artillery does that on its own now.

I'm not saying that the show of force in this raid was warranted - far from it. It would be better to leave socratic empty silence hanging in the airwaves after well-worded questions than saying stupid shit like "They should have raided him with muskets and blunderbusses!"