Codebreaker found in bag attended US security conference before death (2012) | Hacker News Reader

Codebreaker found in bag attended US security conference before death (2012)

wired.co.uk

212 pointsck278 comments

He might have been a pre-Snowden that didn't escape:

Williams was unhappy with his work environment at MI6 and felt he didn't fit in with his colleagues. During the inquest, testimony revealed that the coder had conducted unauthorised searches of an MI6 database

also: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/08/codebreaker-death/

Or he might have been simply killed for sport. Or because he wanted to be. Or insert claim here

The American government is killing British agents for sport? Ye gods, how depraved have they become?!

God no, the Americans were far too busy writing juicy memos to get involved in this one. I think we all can glean from the nature of his death that it could only have been...

dum dum dum

... The Icelandic Government.

That's right folks. Due to his persistent mockery of eating rotten shark, those heartless Icelanders decided to shut him up for good. The method of dispatch leaving his body in a similarly putrescent state as their favourite delicacy.

Their hearts are as cold and bleak as their country.. which is cold and bleak.

Thats exactly the point of these murders by intelligence agencies.

Plausible deniability and "point finger and call tinfoil hatter"-ability at anyone who questions their fascist tendencies.

Things that can equally be explained by coincidence or as normal part of his job are not good ways to keep people inline by fear of violence.

For government use of force to keep people inline to act as a deterrent you have to have concrete examples of a governments use of force.

Government can not kill indiscriminately and as a show of force its own citizens as that would upset a lot of citizens as the government is meant to protect them from violence. It has the potential to stir up civil war. It is only then, in case of civil war, that governments chose to display their power in that open way.

Its not the masses that are meant to be kept inline by this murder of a MI6 agent, its the people close to the victim - his colleagues and sympathizers.

-1 Daniel Points for using "fascist" as a swear word.

-1 Kenneth points for implying "fascist" should ever not be used as a perjorative.

Not implied—feel free to call a spade a spade and a fascist a fascist.

Excuse me now, I have to get back to my campaign to stop people from "diffusing tensions".

you're road is a difficult one.

Or a suicide

Well, I highly doubt anyone would commit suicide by getting inside a bag.

You clearly have never heard of Exit Bags.

Now I can say today I learned something new. Had never heard of something like that.

How would he lock himself inside a bag? I guess it's possible, but rather strange.

I was being sarcastic...

Killing someone and locking them up in a duffel bag in a hotel bathroom doesn't seem British governments style. Before claiming the victim was another Snowden/whistleblower, you might want to read this excerpt from the article:

"The source indicated that Williams' work to disrupt the Russian mafia could have put him at risk".

"Some of these powerful criminal networks have links with, and employ, former KGB agents who can track down people like Williams," the source said.

He also flew to the NSA headquarters a couple times a year.

KGB vs NSA, which one is actually active and fully funded right now?

Both... are you actually serious?

The KGB is no more, now there is the FSB. Whether or not that means anything in practice, I cannot say.

Wait, so what exactly is the British government style of killing people?

If you assume the British government chooses to murder people, it also perfectly reasonable to assume that it does it using someone else style to cover its crime e.g. russian mafia style.

The style of a security agency generally would be to make it look like either an accidental death (car crash) or a natural death (exotic virus), so as not to attract the attention of the police or the press. The mafia style, on the other hand, would be to make it clear that he had been executed, so as to send a threatening message to the appropriate circles.

he could be potential leak, they could do it this way so rest knows how leak will end for them.

Easy and effective.

The general practice is to leave known spies operating and use them for counterintelligence. No other explanation is consistent with the small number of prosecutions and premature deaths.

Counterintelligence is worthless if the plan is to leak to the public, rather than to the intelligence apparatus of another nation.

I wonder if state apologists on Russian web forums say the same thing whenever Alexander Litvinenko is brought up.

EDIT: To expand on this now that I'm not mobile: This notion of the "style" of security agencies might be what you get from Hollywood and spy novels, but you could only arrive upon this conclusion if you are selectively excluding examples from reality. Yeah, we know of the US's "heart attack gun", but we also know they are rather fond of "assassination via drone" and don't give a shit who knows it. The Russians tried to sneak the Georgi Markov assassination under the radar, but killed Alexander Litvinenko in one of the more flamboyant ways imaginable. Mossad tried to be sly with Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, but they've blown other peoples' heads off with telephone bombs on more than one occasion.

The conclusion that should be drawn from real-world examples of state assassinations should not be one that you find surprising: they do whatever they think will work best in any particular situation. That is their style.

Actually, from the Mossad example, many of the more "known" Mossad deaths have been from bombs. So you can say that at least some spy agencies have a pattern.

Hrrrumph.

The British Way is subtle. They could have simply leaked info about the guy to the Russian Maffia and let them do their thing.

It seems to have worked quite well.

Car crash in a tunnel in Paris? ;)

What is British style ? Hiding body in teabag ? I think he wanted to leak and as MI6 don't let leaks he had to be eliminated.

But then again if there is enemy A and enemy B, and you are enemy A with half a brain, you probably do your very best to let all the signs point at enemy B.

The fatal flaw in this theory is:

"MI6 did not report him missing, however, until 23 August, at which point his body had decomposed, thwarting attempts to determine the precise cause of death."

His own spy agency failed to report him missing which is pretty suspicious all by itself. To me, this would indicate they're most likely involved. They also left out the fact the heat in the flat was turned up to speed decomposition and the reason the bag was in the bathtub was to make it easy for body fluids to drain.

Lots more details which indicate a professional hit:

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/blog/2013/01/04/gareth-wi...

> To me, this would indicate they're most likely involved.

Oh really? Of course, you're a career criminal investigator with a history of solving crimes committed and covered up by nefarious government entities?

Christ, the completely unsubstantiated hyperbolic rush to conclusions in this thread is absolutely mind-numbing.

Of course, that what a paid astroturfer for the government WOULD say, so I am probably one and can easily be ignored. Carry on.

One of the hallmarks of a conspiracy theory is that pretty much anything, including evidence against it, is actually evidence for it - because it's all part of the cover up.

That's what they WANT you to believe.

Or IS IT?

>His own spy agency failed to report him missing which is pretty suspicious all by itself.

It's the British government, one of the most bureaucratic agencies in the world. The fact that the form to notify the police wasn't lost while bouncing around is the only surprising thing to me in that sentence.

I disagree. Making the victim look like some kind of pervert or loner would appear to be common occurrence for British citizens.

Of course, all Brits might all be perverted loners!

  Nicholas Anderson, former MI6 officer turned author, told
  The Independent on Sunday: "I am on verbal record to my 
  own family, close friends and select lawyers that if 
  anything ever happened to me – a straight man and a 
  positive thinker – it would likely be made to look either 
  like a suicide or that I died dressed like a woman.

  "Over the years, it seems to me a favourite way of 
  presentation. I, of course, am not suicidal in any remote 
  way nor do I like to dress so. When I read in the press 
  about Gareth Williams, women's clothes, and a wig, it all 
  fits the usual scenario."

N.B. The source of the above quote is not currently available: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/curious-case-of-a...

Other suspicious UK deaths:

- http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mi6-dirty-secrets-why-d...:

- In 1983, 25-year-old Stephen Drinkwater, who worked as a clerk at GCHQ, was found dead at his home with a plastic bag over his head.

- In 1997 another worker, Nicholas Husband, 46, was found dead at home dressed in a bra and panties – with a plastic bag over his head.

- Two years later, Kevin Allen, 31, a language expert at GCHQ, was found dead in his bed at home with a plastic bag over his head and a dust mask over his mouth.

And a few more British perverts and loners:

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Milligan

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Gareth_Williams

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Mossman

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Moyle

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Rusbridger

Plus a couple of other deaths that were linked to the state:

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilda_Murrell

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Kelly

- Dr. Richard Holmes (Dr. David Kelly's co-worker) - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2133201/Dr-Richard-H...

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_MacRae

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Mannakee

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindi_St_Clair

Apologies about the "source" but: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2139799/Sex-spies-se...

In summary, many of these deaths were suspicious. None of them have been proved to be attributed to the British security services, but is interesting that the link (however tenuous) is there.

Look at it another way. If you are the security services and you need to get rid of someone, making a murder look like a suicide is a good move. However, a suicide normally requires depression or some linked emotional trauma. Without that, the suicide is suspicious. If the suicide is linked to an accidental sexual game then the victim looks like a pervert, is shamed publicly and the "suicide" is much difficult to question. QED, murders through sexual misadventures are much easier to pass off than depressive suicides or straight up murders.

Here are https non-mobile links

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Michael Hutchence died like this as well. Perhaps we should investigate his links to MI6.

Of course I agree that there is the possibility that autoerotic-asphyxiation is an art that is enjoyed by many more than most of us appreciate! Sometimes it goes wrong.

However, there just seems to be worrying number of people who are linked to the British security services.

Other notable names (non-security services related) include:

- David Carradine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Carradine

- Kristian Digby: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristian_Digby

- Kevin Glibert: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Gilbert

Yes, the Daily Mail loves a bit of faux outrage and tabloid gossip, but they actually do employ journalists (sometimes). Here they cover expert evidence given to the coroner. Check out the pictures and videos.

>An escapology expert tried and failed 300 times to lock himself into an identical bag after being hired to try to crack the mystery of Gareth Williams' death.

...

He said: 'I just cannot do it. This case, I just cannot get it off my mind. It is very difficult. I am an escapologist, I am thinking outside the box here and trying everything I can to find a way.'

Dr Wilcox added: 'With all your trials and failures do you think it would be impossible to padlock this bag from the inside?'

Mr Faulding replied: 'I cannot say it was impossible, but even Houdini would struggle.'

He said Mr Williams could not have survived for more than 30 minutes as the temperature quickly rose and oxygen levels dropped. Mr Faulding said he only lasted five minutes before becoming 'delirious' after zipping himself inside with emergency oxygen and a paramedic outside.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2136118/Gareth-Willi...

I had to laugh for about a solid minute at,

>I am an escapologist, I am thinking outside the box here.

Wayback Machine is your friend, regarding the quote/article above:

http://web.archive.org/web/20121022174605/http://www.indepen...

> Look at it another way. If you are the security services and you need to get rid of someone, making a murder look like a suicide is a good move. However, a suicide normally requires depression or some linked emotional trauma. Without that, the suicide is suspicious. If the suicide is linked to an accidental sexual game then the victim looks like a pervert, is shamed publicly and the "suicide" is much difficult to question. QED, murders through sexual misadventures are much easier to pass off than depressive suicides or straight up murders

Or, you know, people do just kill themselves in large numbers in the UK. Men aged between 15 and 44 have the highest rates of completed suicide. While GCHQ is an Equal Opportunities employer it's likely that they employ many men because of the electronic and computing work.

(http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health4/suicides-i...)

Mental health services in Gloucestershire are provided by 2gether NHS Foundation Trust. But there have been changes over this time - the 3 primary care trusts merged into a single trust; money from the budget of 2gether was taken to bail out one of the financially failing trusts; IAPT and PCAT have started; 2gether have done a lot of work to improve times for specialist community based psychotherapy (the wait used to be well over two years, it's much quicker now but they're still working on it). Suicide prevention hasn't been a national priority for very long.

> In summary, many of these deaths were suspicious

Really? Why? People die depressingly often by suicide. There is a known mechanism of "contagion" with DSH and suicide, and so we expect to find clusters of suicides.

I'd suggest the Marconi suicides (which used a number of bizarre methods) are much more suspicious than a death including suffocation. (Bags are sometimes used to preserve "dignity"; or to prevent need for cleanup of vomit.)

Because Williams, having just uncovered key evidence against the evil Russian mafia at Black Hat and/or Harrods was, the only person in MI6 who could possibly stand a chance against the evil Russian mafia.

At the very least acknowledge the possibility, instead of parroting whatever some anonymous source - who decided to surface two years after the fact, at a very strategic time at that - is saying.

A murder can be used eliminate someone, but also to send a message.

For it to be a message to others it has to be visible and it has to be obvious who did it without it actually holding up in court.

The Litvinenko case comes to mind. He didn't "trip" down the stairs, the way he was killed made it clear who killed him and sent a message out.

The garden of forking paths comes to mind.

You have been watching too many movies.

> Williams was unhappy with his work environment at MI6 and felt he didn't fit in with his colleagues.

He was on secondment from GCHQ. He might have been very happy with the work and environment at GCHQ. We don't know.

What a devious headline. Imagine it as "Codebreaker for MI6 murdered after going to <FILL IN THE BLANK>" and you'll spot the trick here.

From the article...

"Codebreaker for MI6 murdered after going to Harrods Department Store"

Codebreaker for M16 murdered after undergoing TSA Search! Codebreaker for M16 murdered after visiting legal prostitution state!

Seriously, this is (yet another) bit of irresponsible journalism headlines (titulars = British?) from Wired. They're trying hard to be "the finger on the pulse of the wild west world of cyberspace." facepalm.wav

To be fair, it was Ck2 who added the word "murdered" not Wired.

and check it out... Wired has changed the headline... Just like the Guardian did two weeks ago on that "let herself be gang-raped" headline. [1][2] It's now "Codebreaker found in bag attended US security conference before death".

AND as a matter of fact, I just went back to triple-check the Guardian article and guess what? They changed it AGAIN. They replaced the word "molested" with "endured sexual assault."

Are they A/B testing? What is going on?! (wake up sheeple...)

[1]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6374829 [2]http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/08/beeban-kidron-in...

When this case broke first in the UK there was a curious smear campaign conducted against the victim. Suggesting that he was into deviant sexual practices and that that may have led to his demise.

I didn't know any details of the case at the time but it just struck me as odd.

1 yr old article about a dead in 2010?

Little bits of information are leaking out over time. I don't think his attendance at Black Hat was publicly known before this week?

I don't think it's surprising that MI6 / GCHQ CESG / NSA / etc send people to conferences like Black Hat.

True. New info there.

It was a weird story when details first emerged, too: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1311214/Detectives-b...

How can their be new info given that this article is dated May 4th, 2012?!

http is insecure. The NSA is tapping into your communication and changing the date to trick you into thinking there's no new info.

The article is dated "04 MAY 12" and shows no mention that it has been updated.

The article is dated May 2012... That counts as 'before this week' in my book.

16-month-old article on HN home page for why?

MI6.

That's a lot of info for things supposed to be secret. Or did people in the Services not receive the memo that their job requires to keep quiet. I mean, that amount of info on a magazine !

The only thing this article from 2012 is good for is reminding me that it's been almost 3 months and we still have no explanation of Barnaby Jack's passing.

Everybody who knew him does. It's not interesting.

So you could say it was a "black bag" job.

I remember this case, it was a weird one.

Story is worthy of a movie plot

Title worthy of an "in 2010".

So I guess this is why DEFCON officially discouraged feds from attending this year?

No, that's because of negative attitudes towards them based on Snowden leaks etc.

No, this happened in 2010. DEFCON banned feds because of the NSA disclosures[1].

http://mashable.com/2013/07/11/hacker-conference-defcon-no-f...

I know. It was my (now failed) attempt at humor.

The author uses the word 'thwarting' in two consecutive paragraphs... Wired UK's writing is usually better than this.

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