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Chapter 4
Sensing and Perceiving
Misperception by Those Trained to Accurately Perceive a Threat
On September 6, 2007, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit was being held in downtown
Sydney, Australia. World leaders, including the then-current U.S. president, George W. Bush, were attending the
summit. Many roads in the area were closed for security reasons, and police presence was high.
As a prank, eight members of the Australian television satire The Chaser’s War on Everything assembled a false
motorcade made up of two black four-wheel-drive vehicles, a black sedan, two motorcycles, body guards, and
chauffeurs (see the video below). Group member Chas Licciardello was in one of the cars disguised as Osama bin
Laden. The motorcade drove through Sydney’s central business district and entered the security zone of the meeting.
The motorcade was waved on by police, through two checkpoints, until the Chaser group decided it had taken the gag
far enough and stopped outside the InterContinental Hotel where former President Bush was staying. Licciardello
stepped out onto the street and complained, in character as bin Laden, about not being invited to the APEC Summit.
Only at this time did the police belatedly check the identity of the group members, finally arresting them.
Chaser APEC Motorcade Stunt
Motorcade Stunt performed by the Chaser pranksters in 2007.
Afterward, the group testified that it had made little effort to disguise its attempt as anything more than a prank. The
group’s only realistic attempt to fool police was its Canadian-flag marked vehicles. Other than that, the group used
obviously fake credentials, and its security passes were printed with “JOKE,” “Insecurity,” and “It’s pretty obvious this
isn’t a real pass,” all clearly visible to any police officer who might have been troubled to look closely as the motorcade
passed. The required APEC 2007 Official Vehicle stickers had the name of the group’s show printed on them, and this
text: “This dude likes trees and poetry and certain types of carnivorous plants excite him.” In addition, a few of the
“bodyguards” were carrying camcorders, and one of the motorcyclists was dressed in jeans, both details that should
have alerted police that something was amiss.
The Chaser pranksters later explained the primary reason for the stunt. They wanted to make a statement about the
fact that bin Laden, a world leader, had not been invited to an APEC Summit where issues of terror were being
discussed. The secondary motive was to test the event’s security. The show’s lawyers approved the stunt, under the
assumption that the motorcade would be stopped at the APEC meeting.