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

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-05/04/spy-in-bag-attended-hacker-conference

by ck2 • 13 years ago

212 78 13 years ago

wired.co.uk

icosahedronman• 13 years ago

Story is worthy of a movie plot

logicallee2• 13 years ago

Title worthy of an "in 2010".

Ecio78• 13 years ago

1 yr old article about a dead in 2010?

DanBC3• 13 years ago

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.

Volscio• 13 years ago

True. New info there.

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

alexk7• 13 years ago

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

JshWright• 13 years ago

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

noir_lord• 13 years ago

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

I remember this case, it was a weird one.

ck22• 13 years ago

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/

Ntrails2• 13 years ago

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

krapp6• 13 years ago

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

antocv3• 13 years ago

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.

V-22• 13 years ago

Or a suicide

jaxytee• 13 years ago

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.

ck22• 13 years ago

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?

bnegreve• 13 years ago

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.

VargardObyron2• 13 years ago

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.

1337biz• 13 years ago

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.

at-fates-hands• 13 years ago

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...

junto2• 13 years ago

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.

oskarth• 13 years ago

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.

rdtsc• 13 years ago

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.

pavelrub• 13 years ago

You have been watching too many movies.

DanBC3• 13 years ago

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.

ktd• 13 years ago

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.

8ig8• 13 years ago

From the article...

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

diydsp2• 13 years ago

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

charlus• 13 years ago

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

vezzy-fnord2• 13 years ago

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

corin_• 13 years ago

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

krapp6• 13 years ago

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...

vezzy-fnord2• 13 years ago

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

Jugurtha• 13 years ago

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 !

jrochkind1• 13 years ago

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

tedunangst2• 13 years ago

MI6.

droopybuns• 13 years ago

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.

lawnchair_larry• 13 years ago

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

julesie• 13 years ago

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.

sarreph• 13 years ago

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

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

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