Like any techno-political soap opera watcher, I've on occasion wondered why it is so damned hard for Julian Assange to get away from that embassy.
Riddle me this: you've been stuck in a little room in Equador's embassy in London for 8 years. You can't leave without getting arrested and most likely extradited.
A few countries not friendly to the U.S., but most notably Russia, have tried to figure out how to get you out of there
Your crimes are mostly pissing off people in power in the way journalists really should, but there is also compelling evidence of at least one actual crime — that you provided material assistance to someone hacking secret information. If the U.S. gets hold of you, you can pretty much count on paying the piper.
Still, you have hordes of supporters, and even entire countries with not insignificant resources willing to give a hand if only to tweak the nose of the U.S.
Diplomatic vehicles, helicopters, disguises, being made an ambassador yourself, just plain sneaking out... nothing has panned out.
So what are your options? Jetpack? Smuggle in parts of a drone capable of carrying a person? VTOL car? Urban ghillie suit? Rocket skates? Dig a tunnel in the basement? It seems hard to believe that the bored lax surveillance of 8 years on can't be defeated by a motivated technogencia.
You've probably only got one shot...so how would you do it?
(Score: 3, Touché) by RedIsNotGreen on Thursday December 27 2018, @09:07PM (1 child)
Ok, here is the plan. A few people get a van... As soon as he walks out, they jump him, throw a black hood over his head, jog him into the van, and take off.
Everyone will think it's an extradition kidnapping and not even bat an eye. MI5 will think it's the CIA, and CIA will think it's China, and China will think it's Israel, and so on.
By the time they realize what happened, Assange will already be safely aboard Captain Nemo's
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 28 2018, @07:09PM
Unless the US blackops van gets Assange first... Or the US blackops van stops the first van to get him.
They grounded the Bolivian President's plane to try to get Snowden: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evo_Morales_grounding_incident [wikipedia.org]
They got a Russian hacker in Maldives. And they got NZ to get helicopters and the whole circus for Kim Dotcom.
So don't underestimate what the US Gov can and is willing to do.