US biker shoot-out: Warring bike gangs around the world

Police said almost 100 weapons were recovered from the scene in Waco where rival gangs met

Nine people have been killed and nearly 200 arrested after one of the worst episodes of biker gang violence.

A police spokesman said the crime scene at a Waco restaurant in the US state of Texas was "probably one of the most gruesome" he had seen in 34 years.

He said almost 100 weapons had been recovered.

Violence and disorder among those affiliated to different motorcycling groups have been seen since the 1940s when unrest in California inspired the 1953 Marlon Brando movie The Wild One.

Following the Waco attack, many on social media are stressing that most bikers are not involved in criminal activity.

"Riding a motorcycle does not make you a criminal," is one remark from a member of the public on the Waco police department Facebook page and "Sad day" reads a comment on the Central Texas Harley Owners Group Facebook page.

However, authorities including the California Department of Justice note that those known as "1 per centers" mark themselves out from law-abiding social clubs.

United States

The Hells Angels, Bandidos, Black Pistons, Mongols, Outlaws, Pagans, Vagos and Sons of Silence are listed by the US Department of Justice as motorbike clubs used for criminal activity including violent crime, weapons trafficking, and drug trafficking. The Hells Angels and Bandidos have the largest membership with up to 2,500 each. Hells Angels operate in 27 countries.

Marlon Brando portrayed motorbike gang leader Johnny Strabler in The Wild One

One of the earliest known biker clashes came in 1947 at what came to be known as the Hollister Riot and helped inspire The Wild One. The Boozefighters and the Market Street Commandos were among those involved.

Later that year, according to a California state report, a biker outing in Riverside ended in rioting and two deaths.

Canada

The "Quebec biker war" between Rock Machine, allied to the Bandidos, and the Hells Angels over control of the drug trade peaked between 1992 and 2009 in Montreal.

In 1995 a man was killed and another injured in a bike accessories shop in Montreal owned by the Rock Machine

Nearly 100 people were killed in the turf war in the 1990s, including an 11-year old boy killed by shrapnel from a car bomb in 1995.

Hell's Angels jailed in Canada

Quebec biker found guilty of murder

Australia

In Australia, it is estimated there are 35 outlawed motorcycle groups with 3,500 official members. Since the 1980s there have been about 100 biker killings across the country and 1,000 shootings.

Violence over drugs and protection rackets between Hells Angels and the Comancheros has included drive-by shootings, a bomb attack and a deadly brawl in 2009 where a man associated with the Hells Angels was bludgeoned with a metal pole in front of hundreds of horrified passengers at Sydney airport.

In 2009 a man associated with Hells Angels was bludgeoned to death at Sydney airport

In 2012 a former senior police officer went as far as to say the country was facing a "war".

A "bikie-only prison" was even established north of Brisbane last year.

One of the first infamous incidents was the Milperra massacre in 1984 - involving the Bandido and Comanchero gangs. Six bikers were shot dead in a pub car park in Sydney, while a teenage 14-year-old girl was killed in the crossfire.

'Growing menace' of Australian bike gang violence

Australia police raid biker gangs

UK

In 1998, Hells Angel Ronald Wait was jailed for 15 years for an attack on rivals, the Outcasts, in which two men were killed and a third injured. Malcolm St Clair was at a Rockers Reunion concert at Battersea Arts Centre in London when he was attacked with an axe and a knife.

A huge funeral was held for Hells Angel Gerry Tobin after he was murdered in 2007

The prosecution said it was part of a battle to become the leading biker group in the country.

In 2007, Hells Angel Gerry Tobin was fatally shot from a car on the M40 by Outlaw gang members as he returned from a biker festival in London.

Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Germany

Belgium was one of the first countries in the world to declare the Hells Angels an illegal organisation. A clampdown came in 1999 after violence in Belgium, Holland and Denmark. Following one of the worst clashes between the Hells Angels and rival gang the Outlaws, 10 gang members were charged with attempted manslaughter.

In 2012, police raided dozens of properties across northern Germany as part of a major investigation into the Hells Angels.