Helicopter Footage from the Raid on Kim Dotcom's Mansion Has Been Released

The MegaUpload case is proceeding, albeit slowly. But such a complicated case covers a lot of issues. There's the lawsuit against the company, in the US, the extradition order for some of its employees, plus various investigations into the raid in New Zealand.

Kim Dotcom was arrested at his home by a swarm of police officers and special forces along with several helicopters and vehicles. This to arrest one man accused of internet crimes in his house.

In the meantime, the warrant for the raid was deemed invalid and there has been a lot of criticism over the way the police handled things.

We've also heard Kim Dotcom's side of the story as well as the police's. But now, for the first time, we have some footage from the raid, shot by the first helicopter to arrive and drop off several heavily-armed officers.

The video surfaced as the court proceedings analyzing the raid got underway in New Zealand. The local 3news has covered the MegaUpload case from the very beginning.

In its latest report, some footage from the raid is shown, as well as some from the court hearings, Dotcom's deposition along with that of one of the police officers involved.

The report speaks for itself mostly. It clearly shows that the ground forces arrived within seconds of the first helicopter. It shows the armed officers swarming the place.

There's also radio communication from the raid, so there's some idea of what happened inside the house as well.

It's not enough to get a complete picture, but it shows pretty clearly the excessive use of force.

In Dotcom's deposition, he also criticizes some of the claims of the police, namely that they needed to act in the manner they did to prevent him or someone else from destroying evidence. This despite the fact that, by the time of the raid, the FBI had already taken control of the MegaUpload servers.

The YouTube video is unofficial, so it may be taken down. You can try this one or go to 3news's website to watch the original video.