
Codebreaker found in bag attended US security conference before death (2012) - ck2
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-05/04/spy-in-bag-attended-hacker-conference
======
ck2
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/](http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/08/codebreaker-death/)

~~~
jaxytee
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.

~~~
junto
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...](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/curious-case-of-a-lack-of-
curiosity-over-missing-spy-7687539.html)

Other suspicious UK deaths:

\- [http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mi6-dirty-secrets-
why-d...](http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mi6-dirty-secrets-why-do-sex-
games-819152):

\- 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/Stephen_Milligan)

\-
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Gareth_Williams](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Gareth_Williams)

\-
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Mossman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Mossman)

\-
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Moyle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Moyle)

\-
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Rusbridger](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/Hilda_Murrell)

\-
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Kelly](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://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2133201/Dr-Richard-
Holmes-Suicide-riddle-weapons-expert-worked-David-Kelly.html)

\-
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_MacRae](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_MacRae)

\-
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Mannakee](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Mannakee)

\-
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindi_St_Clair](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindi_St_Clair)

Apologies about the "source" but:
[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2139799/Sex-spies-
se...](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2139799/Sex-spies-seven-
suspicious-deaths-The-murky-waters-intelligence-world--coincidence-
conspiracy.html)

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.

~~~
teamgb
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...](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2136118/Gareth-Williams-
inquest--Houdini-struggle-padlock-holdall-spy-dead-in.html)

~~~
logicallee
I had to laugh for about a solid minute at,

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

------
ktd
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.

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

~~~
diydsp
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](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6374829)
[2][http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/08/beeban-kidron-
in...](http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/08/beeban-kidron-inreallife-
interview-teenagers)

------
julesie
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.

------
Ecio78
1 yr old article about a dead in 2010?

~~~
DanBC
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
True. New info there.

It was a weird story when details first emerged, too:
[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1311214/Detectives-b...](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1311214/Detectives-
believe-GCHQ-spys-death-sex-game-went-wrong.html)

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

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

------
jrochkind1
16-month-old article on HN home page for why?

~~~
tedunangst
MI6.

------
Jugurtha
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_ !

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

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

I remember this case, it was a weird one.

------
icosahedronman
Story is worthy of a movie plot

~~~
logicallee
Title worthy of an "in 2010".

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

~~~
krapp
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...](http://mashable.com/2013/07/11/hacker-conference-defcon-no-feds/)

~~~
vezzy-fnord
I know. It was my (now failed) attempt at humor.

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

