News in General

HEADLINE = UKExperts: UK spy found dead in bag likely had help

LONDON (AP) — Experts said Friday it was almost impossible for a British spy whose naked body was found locked inside a sports bag to have climbed inside and pulled the zipper closed himself — increasingly the likelihood someone else was involved in his mysterious death.

Cryptology expert Gareth Williams, 31, worked for Britain's secret eavesdropping service GCHQ but was attached to the MI6 overseas spy agency when his remains were found in August 2010 inside the bag in a bathtub at his London apartment.
Police are not certain exactly how Williams died and have so far made no arrests, although a senior detective has told an inquest on the spy's death that she believes someone else must have been involved.

Coroner Fiona Wilcox is in charge of the inquest, which must attempt to determine when and how Williams died. Police have indicated Williams' death may have had links to his private life — possibly during in a sexual encounter gone awry

His relatives, however, insist his demise must be related to his highly secret work.

The inquiry heard earlier this week that MI6 colleagues failed to report Williams as missing for a week, meaning that police lost vital chances to gather evidence at the scene.

The hearing has also been told that Williams had visited websites on sadomasochism and had previously had to call for help after he tied himself to his bed and couldn't escape.

Peter Faulding, an-ex military reservist who specializes in rescuing people from confined spaces, told the hearing Friday that getting into this bag would likely even have defeated famed escapologist Harry Houdini.
"I couldn't say it's impossible, but I think even Houdini would have struggled with this one," Faulding told Westminster Coroner's Court in London. "My conclusion is that Mr. Williams was either placed in the bag unconscious, or he was dead before he was in the bag."

Faulding said he had made 300 unsuccessful attempts to lock himself inside an identical sized sports bag, measuring 81cm (32 inches) by 48cm (18.9 inches). Williams was the same height as Faulding, 170 cm (5 feet 7 inches) tall.
A second expert, William MacKay, told the hearing that it was possible, but very unlikely, that Williams could have climbed inside the bag and locked it unaided. His yoga-practicing assistant had made more than 100 attempts to recreate the feat without success, MacKay said.
"I would not like to say that it could not be done," MacKay said. "There are people around who can do amazing things and Mr. Williams may well have been one of those persons.

The hearing was also told that detectives had found video stored on the spy's mobile phone which appeared to show Williams dressed in only black leather boots and gyrating at a camera
A trawl of his internet browsing had uncovered searches for bondage sites, designer female clothing and high-profile drag artists.

Wilcox expects to deliver a verdict in the case next Wednesday.

A senior detective has revealed at an inquest that small "components" of another person's DNA were found on the padlocked bag containing the body of MI6 codebreaker Gareth Williams.

The spy's naked and decomposing body was found in a holdall in the bath of his home in Pimlico, central London, on August 23, 2010.
On the second day of evidence at Westminster Coroner's Court, a police video of the crime scene was shown - which included footage of the bag in the flat.
DCI Jackie Sebire gave details to the inquest about the investigation into Mr Williams' death and the forensic evidence found at the scene.
My thought or my opinion since I went into the scene is that a third party had been involved in the death or by putting the body in the bag.
DCI Jackie Sebire
The codebreaker was found lying on his back inside the red North Face bag, with his legs folded up to his chest.
"His face was very calm. His hands were laying on his chest", DCI Sebire added.
She said it was believed the codebreaker did not attempt to get out of the bag, as there were no signs of distress on his body or marks inside the holdall.
But these were not the only reasons, the detective told the inquest, that she thought from early on that someone else was involved in the death.
Mr Williams' semen was found in the en suite bathroom, but no other DNA, and there were no fingerprints found on the lower tiles above the bath.DCI Sebire said she would have expected to find the deceased's prints on these tiles if he had lent on them to balance as he got into bag.
Furthermore, while weak blood stains from Mr Williams were found on the holdall's handles - "two minor components of another contributor's DNA" were found on the bag and padlock.
DCI Sebire said: "My thought or my opinion since I went into the scene is that a third party had been involved in the death or by putting the body in the bag.
"So my primary focus was looking at the bathroom."
The holdall had been padlocked on the outside and the inquest heard how two zip eyelets would have been drawn together before the padlock bar was slipped through both, then turned and pushed closed.
DCI Sebire told the inquest it would have been very difficult to perform that locking movement, and police tests indicated it would be very difficult to "manipulate" the bag from the inside.
The police video of the Pimlico flat, shot the day after Mr Williams' body was found, showed it was tidy, but very sparse.

quicksilvercrescendo wrote:The ritual sacrifice of the 33rd parallel Iran demands a June 18, 2012 nuclear strike and mass offering up of souls through the use of nuclear fire.
Should this date and sacrifice be missed by the Satanic Jews, then Iran loses ritual relevance and it will now be time to focus and fast forward to war with China.

May 15, 2012

UPDATED: A 49-year-old man who apparently had been turned down for welfare assistance in Norway approached the security control post outside the Oslo City Court Tuesday afternoon, suddenly doused himself with a flammable liquid and set himself on fire. He also threw an object at police but they quickly surrounded him, tore off his burning clothes and extinguished the blaze.

The apparent attempt at self-immolation occurred outside the courthouse where the trial of confessed terrorist Anders Behring Breivik is underway. Several other trials are also going on inside the courthouse, and police said they did not think the incident was tied to the terror trial.

‘Shoot me, shoot me’
Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported that cries from the entrance to the courthouse could be heard inside as well and that the man yelled “Shoot me, shoot me” several times. Police cars arrived quickly at the scene, the area outside the courthouse was cordoned off and firefighters also arrived along with an ambulance.

Kjell Kverme of the Oslo Police District told NRK the man, who has a police record, was seriously injured with burns on his chest and stomach. He was rushed to Oslo University Hospital Ullevål where he was due to undergo surgery on Wednesday. Police wouldn’t immediately confirm his identity, nationality or motive but he was said to have spoken Norwegian.

Police later said the man was a Norwegian citizen who had immigrated to Norway. News bureau NTB reported that he had visited a local attorney’s office just before the incident outside the courthouse, and left a packet of papers that he asked the attorney’s staff to take care of “in case something happens to me.” The man was not one of the attorney’s clients.

“It seems the man was a desperate welfare client,” the attorney, Bente Roli, told NTB. “The packet contained, among other things, a written rejection of his application for support.”

Trial continued as normal
The man was in a coma Tuesday night but the hospital reported that his injuries were not life-threatening. Police said they had been unable to question him, so his motive could still not be confirmed.

The doors to the courtroom where Breivik’s trial is underway were immediately locked but the trial continued as normal. Prosecutor Svein Holden said he had received a message that prompted them to decide against interrupting proceedings. He didn’t elaborate on the contents of the message.
His co-counsel Inga Bejer Engh later told VG Nett that they didn’t think the incident was connected to Breivik’s trial.

"Rodger that, 'dice the Vatican', over...payload released."

"Your excellency, it has been suggested we vacate the Vatican
immediately and unless we do, in thirty seconds our asses are
going to be pounded into the fucking pavement."

Vatican Bank head ousted as Holy See fights scandal