

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition (2001) - chris_wot
http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2001/12/20/211923/84

======
greenyoda
Note that the date on this posting was Dec 20, 2001, which would place these
events shortly after the anthrax attacks[1] in the wake of 9/11\. The
government was probably at the height of its paranoia about bio-weapons back
then.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_anthrax_attacks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_anthrax_attacks)

------
kbenson
I miss kuro5hin. That was a very, very disparate crowd, and it made for some
extremely interesting content and discussions. I still check in every six
months or so to see if there's anything of interest.

------
nothrabannosir
Everything ended well for the author, which is great. Especially considering
the risk he took by answering their questions without his own attorney
present.

If anyone ever finds themselves in a similar position, please:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc)

Don't Talk To Police.

He mentions: "[2] My father-in-law opined that they were trying to agitate me
to the point of losing my cool and going postal." That deserves more than a
footnote.

------
rday
> Once we pulled up into my driveway, the agents recommended I go inside first
> and take a few minutes to explain what was happening to my family.

This can't possibly be true. Allowing the suspect to enter first and "take a
few minutes to explain" is absurd. If you're going to give them a chance to
flush evidence, why go through the search in the first place?

~~~
rdtsc
Based on knowing author for 15+ years, he is not the one to make stuff like
that up.

By that time they were probably mostly convinced he wasn't the terrorist they
suspected initially but still wanted to check a bit more. They didn't have a
search warrant. (Note they didn't want to look at files or his computer data
either). Also there were Secret Service agents not your average run of the
mill municipal cops (if that helps).

And besides if they expected to get any information out of the family members,
barging in and scaring them might have been counteproductive.

------
rdtsc
I know the author in person. Remember hearing about it. One of the things that
happened also is they also questioned his kids "if daddy was bulding something
in the basement".

Good thing it was before the whole War Of Terror was in full swing. Somehow I
think he would have faired a lot worse maybe a year later or so.

------
ikeboy
Related: [http://www.cracked.com/blog/how-comedy-article-got-me-
placed...](http://www.cracked.com/blog/how-comedy-article-got-me-placed-no-
fly-list/)

(Because I have to: those guys don't know anything about how real assassins
work. If you want to kill the President, you start by infecting them with a
sleeping virus before they become president. Then you only need to activate it
once you know your target.)

(If any SS agents happen to see this: I was referring to the President of an
imaginary science fiction story that I just read. Go look elsewhere.)

(I hope I don't regret this later.)

~~~
rhino369
No President has ever been killed or was targeted for killing by a "real
assassin." I'm not even sure such a thing as "assassin" really exists.

It's always just random extremists and nutjobs.

~~~
victorhooi
Hmm, if what you mean by "real assassin" is somebody who does a contract
killing, then yes, they do exist.

There's several of them here:

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assassinations](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assassinations)

But yes, most US Presidential assassinations (or attempts) seem to be just
nutjobs - nobody's actually said (that we know of), here's $1 million dollars,
go kill the President etc.

~~~
aikah
> But yes, most US Presidential assassinations (or attempts) seem to be just
> nutjobs - nobody's actually said (that we know of), here's $1 million
> dollars, go kill the President etc.

You forgot the fact that nutjobs can be easily manipulated. Nobody has to
promise them $1 million dollars in order to make them go kill someone.They are
not hitmen, they are nutjobs.

