AN ARMED gang of suburban teenagers which is bringing violent American “gangsta” culture to Sydney’s streets is suspected of links to a string of robberies and violent assaults.

The rampage at Merrylands High School on Monday is the latest in a series of attacks in western Sydney by a gang of mostly Islander teenagers, who brazenly display guns, knives and cash on their social networking websites.

Some of the five teenagers accused of the school attack gestured obscenely yesterday on their way to court to face more than 100 charges of assault and affray.

Internet chatter among friends of the five accused included admiration of their show of defiance.

“Hahaha did u see [him] putin his fingers up to the camera,” one of them wrote on the bebo website. He even wanted to join his mates in jail. “Gettin boring man i want to go in … wat can i do to get 2 weeks inside i just wanna go say hi nd see how it is in side.”

The Premier, Morris Iemma, told Parliament yesterday that he had asked the Attorney-General, John Hatzistergos, to investigate whether a new offence needed to be created in the wake of the Merrylands rampage to cover incidents in schools.

The rampage has opened a window on a world of violence, drugs and guns grown out of a veneration of American criminal culture. The teenagers, based around Granville, are known to use gang names such as the Gee40 and the Crazy Little Coconuts, or CLC.

Emulating US gangs such as the Crips, the Granville gangs have come to the attention of the homicide squad and the Robbery and Serious Crimes Squad following the shotgun murder of an 18-year-old at a house in Yennora in Sydney’s south-west in February.

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At least two of the five youths accused over the Merrylands High School attack, a 15-year-old from Merrylands and a 16-year-old from Seven Hills, have been charged with violent robberies in the past.

It is understood police have already trawled sites such as bebo for incriminating pictures and video of teenagers involved in the Granville gangs.

“It’s amazing what these kids put up on these sites,” one investigating officer said.

When the Herald visited the linked pages of dozens of Granville Boys High students and their friends it found photos of large wads of $100 notes with captions such as “how we have fun with $$$$” or “livin it large”.

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