Hacker News Reader

Comment by save_ferris | Hacker News Reader

No idea, but based on the way they returned the evidence to local authorities and claiming they couldn't find anything makes me wonder if they committed a serious breach of protocol at some point (i.e. an FBI agent or informant gave the suspect live bomb-making materials constituting entrapment, etc.)

View on HN

Yes, this sounds like the most likely explanation - they were already involved in some way, and admitting it would be far worse than merely not catching the bomber. Wasn't there something like this with Mexican gunrunning? And isn't there already a record of the FBI effectively creating suspects by "recruiting" them as terrorists?

Yep, here’s a case of the FBI recruiting a “terrorist” for the publicity of stopping an attack on a holiday:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Portland_car_bomb_plot

Wasn't there something like this with Mexican gunrunning?

You're likely referring to the ATF gunwalking scandal[0], the best known piece of which was "Operation Fast and Furious"[1]:

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATF_gunwalking_scandal

[1] https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/27/world/americas/operation-fast...

>Mexican gunrunning

You are thinking of Operation Fast and Furious I believe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATF_gunwalking_scandal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_Mosharref_Hossain

Giving the suspect live bomb making materials would be a bad thing to do... but it probably wouldn't be entrapment.

Entrapment _generally_ requires more than that law enforcement facilitated the crime: it (broadly) requires that they somehow induced someone to commit a crime they would otherwise be unwilling to.

Most people aren't 'gifted bomb making materials and plans' while being coached by law enforcement. The implied facts paint a hazy picture at best.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com