Australian Hells Angels bikies creating ‘havoc’ in Thailand as shooting occurs in Pattaya

Australian Hells Angels are believed to have been involved in the shooting of a Thai man and are causing ‘havoc’ as a violent new chief seeks to build ‘a power network’ in Thailand.

The bikie bang, which is forbidden from displaying its insignia in Western Australia, is active in Thailand and Australian members are violently clashing with locals since Covid-19 travel restrictions lifted.

Australian bikie gang members have been involved in a brutal feud with Thai locals since at least 2015, with several arrested on major charges.

Australian Hells Angels are believed to have been involved in the shooting of a Thai man and are causing ‘havoc’ as a violent new chief seeks to build ‘a power network’ in Thailand

But the power struggle appears to have escalated this month, as images have emerged of many Australian bikies partying in their colours in Thailand.

A Thai man, who is a member of the local Hells Angels chapter claims he was shot when his home and ­Harley Davidson motorcycle shop were sprayed with bullets.

He received leg injuries as his home and car were riddled with bullet holes, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Anthony Bagnato (pictured) was sentenced in a Thai court to death after hiring four men to kill Schneider in 2015 but later released. There is no suggestion he is involved in current trouble in Thailand

It is understood Thai police have closed down a Hells Angels clubhouse since introducing new powers to deal with the re-emerging threat of bikie violence

The bike shop owner claimed Australians were quieter during the pandemic but claimed they were involved in a power struggle with Thais.

‘Australians are building a power network of illegal things in Thailand,’ he claimed. 

‘They like to cause all kinds of violence and cause various problems endlessly.’

The Australian Hells Angels, based in the party town of Pattaya, are believed to be now led by a man nicknamed ‘Aero’.

Little is known of Aero’s background but it is understood he is head of Australian Hell’s Angels operations overseas.

Australian Hells Angels have a violent recent past in Thailand.

Sydney kickboxer Antonio Bagnato, 28, was convicted of murdering Hells Angels boss Wayne Schneider in 2015 and was sentenced to death in a Thai court in February 2017. 

Schneider was kidnapped by a group of men hired by Bagnato and bludgeoned to death near Pattaya, south of Bangkok, on November 30, 2015.

Bagnato was released in 2018. There is no suggestion he is involved in current trouble in Thailand. He was recently extradited to Australia from Thailand and charged with the 2014 murder of Bradley Dillon.

In 2017 Luke Joshua Cook, 34, and Kanyarat Wechapitak, 40, were arrested at the Bangkok international airport after arriving off a flight from Australia following a tip off from local police.

The Australian Hells Angels, based in the party town of Pattaya, are believed to be now led by a man nicknamed ‘Aero’, though little is known of the man (Pictured, two unknown Hells Angels pictured in Thailand in 2019)

Thai courts sentenced the pair to death after they attempted to smuggle methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $300million. 

Both were acquitted after four years in a Bangkok jail and released in 2020.

There is no suggestion either are involved in recent problems. 

Several outlaw bikie gangs are believed to be targeting Thailand as a base in 2022 and so far Hells Angels have the largest presence.

It is understood Thai police have closed down a Hells Angels clubhouse since introducing new powers to deal with the re-emerging threat of bikie violence.