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posted by takyon on Sunday June 10 2018, @12:21AM   Printer-friendly
from the esoteric-death dept.

What killed the computer hacker who turned in Chelsea Manning still a mystery

Forensic pathologists who performed Adrian Lamo's autopsy were unable to determine how the 37-year-old died in March in Wichita. His autopsy report, released Wednesday afternoon, lists Lamo's cause and manner of death as "undetermined." That means that after a thorough examination of his body, results of toxicology testing and information about Lamo's life and last hours, there is nothing that points to a specific reason he died.

"Despite a complete autopsy and supplemental testing, no definitive cause of death was identified," Scott Kipper, deputy coroner and medical examiner at the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center, wrote in the report.

Adrian Lamo.

Previously: Adrian Lamo Dies at Age 37


Original Submission

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Adrian Lamo Dies at Age 37 27 comments

Hacker who gave up Wikileaks source dies

Adrian Lamo, a computer hacker best known for passing on information that led to the arrest of Chelsea Manning, has died aged 37. In online messaging conversations, Manning confided in him, describing confidential military material Manning had sent to Wikileaks.

[...] The cause of Lamo's death, confirmed to the BBC by the Sedgwick County coroner in Kansas, has not yet been made public.

[...] Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on Friday described Lamo as a "petty conman and betrayer of basic human decency".

Adrian Lamo.

Related: Report: Iraq and Afghanistan WikiLeaks Disclosures Did Not Significantly Harm U.S. National Security


Original Submission

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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Snotnose on Sunday June 10 2018, @12:35AM (1 child)

    by Snotnose (1623) on Sunday June 10 2018, @12:35AM (#690982)

    Just like security issues, the NSA knows vulnerabilities in our bodies that are hard to detect. Just like with security issues, sure would be nice if the NSA would tell doctors about the vulnerabilities in our bodies that would make us all safer.

    --
    Why shouldn't we judge a book by it's cover? It's got the author, title, and a summary of what the book's about.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @12:50AM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @12:50AM (#690989)

    Examiners who performed Lamo's autopsy found a sticker on his left thigh under this clothes that reads: "Adrian Lamo Project Vigilant Assistant Director Threat Analysis/Investigation 70 Bates Street Northwest, Washington DC 20001."

    Project Vigilant is a Florida-based semi-secret government contractor that claims it encouraged Lamo to disclose the source of the WikiLeaks leak.

    Isnt this kind of weird?

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by takyon on Sunday June 10 2018, @12:54AM

      by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Sunday June 10 2018, @12:54AM (#690990) Journal

      Ummm... no.

      Are you saying you don't have a sticker on your thigh? That's kinda weird.

      NOTHING
      TO SEE
      HERRE
      EEE
      EE
      E
      .

      --
      [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
    • (Score: 2) by Snotnose on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:08AM

      by Snotnose (1623) on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:08AM (#691005)

      What, you thought an alligator did the autopsy?

      Shit dude, get a grip.

      --
      Why shouldn't we judge a book by it's cover? It's got the author, title, and a summary of what the book's about.
    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by frojack on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:56AM (1 child)

      by frojack (1554) on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:56AM (#691016) Journal

      Yeah, and there's also this bit

      The opinion section of the report notes that Lamo had a history of anxiety, depression, Asperger's syndrome, and drug and alcohol abuse. He also suffered from a seizure disorder that could not be ruled out as a possible cause or contributing factor to his death, it says.

      The report also notes that Lamo had creatinine levels consistent with kidney failure and higher than usual potassium levels, but the significance of those was unknown.

      A toxicology screen showed several drugs used to treat seizures, anxiety and depression in his system — as well as a designer drug called flubromazepam. None were at concentrations likely to cause or contribute to his death, the report says.

      It goes on to say that "the fatal ranges of some of these more esoteric drugs is not well studied" or described. However, the finding of such drugs at autopsy "suggest the possibility that other rare drugs not tested for (at autopsy) may have been used" or abused, the report says.

      Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!!!

      --
      No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @03:51AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @03:51AM (#691028)

        Withdrawl from flubromazepam can cause death. It can also cause death if combined with some other drugs or alcohol.

        Death may occur when benzodiazepines are combined with other depressants such as opiates, barbiturates, gabapentinoids, thienodiazepines, alcohol or other GABAergic substances.

        It's worth noting that the sudden discontinuation of benzodiazepines can be potentially dangerous or life-threatening for individuals regularly using for extended periods of time, sometimes resulting in seizures or death.

        https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Flubromazepam [psychonautwiki.org]

  • (Score: 2) by requerdanos on Sunday June 10 2018, @01:20AM (16 children)

    by requerdanos (5997) Subscriber Badge on Sunday June 10 2018, @01:20AM (#690996) Journal

    For those who don't know who Chelsea Manning is (TFS doesn't say), she is the soldier originally named Bradley Manning who worked in an intelligence position and released to Wikileaks a large cache of whistleblowing materials related to the U.S. violent and belligerent conduct in the middle east, for the purpose of, as she put it at the time, "removing the fog of war and revealing the true nature of 21st century asymmetric warfare."*

    Manning made a mistake in confiding the release to chat friend and reputed computer hacker Lamo, who promptly turned her in to authorities out of "concern for national security".** Some friend, may he rest in peace.

    -----
    * Source: https://www.wired.com/2011/12/manning-assange-laptop/ [wired.com]
    ** Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alleged-army-whistleblower-felt-isolated/ [cbsnews.com]

    • (Score: 5, Informative) by takyon on Sunday June 10 2018, @01:26AM (2 children)

      by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Sunday June 10 2018, @01:26AM (#690997) Journal
      • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:00AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:00AM (#691002)

        I'm out of fucks to give for lame-o. Live by the spies... die by the spies. With his track record, I wouldn't be surprised if they offed him.

      • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday June 10 2018, @04:13AM

        by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Sunday June 10 2018, @04:13AM (#691031) Journal

        Oddly - I've never looked at that log before. Unfortunately, tonight, I'm not up to reading through it. Bookmarked - maybe I get to it tomorrow.

    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:07AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:07AM (#691004)

      Some friend, may he rest in peace

      In pieces, after the coroner was through with him.

    • (Score: 0, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:35AM (9 children)

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:35AM (#691010) Journal

      For those who don't know who Manning is, he is the soldier who betrayed his comrades out of petty spite. In his position as an intelligence analyst, Manning had access to hoards of intelligence, which he copied and released through Wikileaks. Manning was motivated to stab his mates in the back because he was undisciplined, and sometimes violent. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8964543/Bradley-Manning-attacked-female-soldier-and-sent-picture-of-himself-as-a-woman.html [telegraph.co.uk] Much of Manning's discipline problem can be traced to his gender confusion.

      Manning makes many mistakes. Every time he takes a breath, is another mistake. Betrayal is the only thing Manning has ever accomplished.

      Now, can we just stop making excuses for this little cockbite? Manning is a despicable little creature, undeserving of empathy, sympathy, understanding, or even human compassion.

      As for Lamo - he doesn't deserve hero status for turning Manning in - but he doesn't deserve the roasting that some of you believe.

      • (Score: 0, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:55AM (3 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:55AM (#691015)

        "As for Lamo - he doesn't deserve hero status for turning Manning in - but he doesn't deserve the roasting that some of you believe."

        /
        /
        /

        That's YOUR opinion, you stupid sack of fascist brain dead shit.

        God damn I wish you were in front of me right now ... I've had a few drinks and I would really enjoy stomping your ass.

        • (Score: 1, Offtopic) by Runaway1956 on Sunday June 10 2018, @03:19AM (2 children)

          by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Sunday June 10 2018, @03:19AM (#691021) Journal

          Well, God damn, take another shot of courage, and maybe you'll come looking for me. Texarkana, remember? I'll meet you in front of the Texarkana post office, in an hour and a half, alright?

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:27PM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:27PM (#691097)

            Fight! Fight! Fight!

            Who won? Who's next?

            • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday June 10 2018, @04:50PM

              by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Sunday June 10 2018, @04:50PM (#691133) Journal

              Nahhh, no fight. He's a no-show. Probably took too many shots of courage, passed out, and woke up this morning with his wife beating his ass.

      • (Score: 2) by coolgopher on Sunday June 10 2018, @03:19AM (4 children)

        by coolgopher (1157) on Sunday June 10 2018, @03:19AM (#691019)

        What words do you then have for those who not just let him serve, but put, and kept him in that position?

        • (Score: 3, Flamebait) by Runaway1956 on Sunday June 10 2018, @03:33AM (3 children)

          by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Sunday June 10 2018, @03:33AM (#691024) Journal

          That's a little bit difficult.

          His immediate supervisors apparently tried to get rid of him. He was removed from duty, at one point in time, due to his discipline problems. The chain of command failed to back up those immediate supervisors. I might fix some small part of the blame on those immediate supervisors, for having failed to impress the higher-ups with the seriousness of Manning's situation. However, I've been in similar situations, and I don't have any working ideas for those supervisors. Sometimes, you're stuck with what you've got.

          Words to describe those upper levels in the chain of command? I would need to know how much of which motivations went into their decision making - but they were definitely failures. I suspect that it was largely motivated by a shortage of personnel. That is a common theme, throughout the armed forces, in all times, and all places. You can't just call some temporary service, and have ten new faces in ranks tomorrow morning.

          But, I wonder if some part of the decision making wasn't political. Manning, the gender bender, served during a period of time in which congress critters were pushing for unfit personnel to serve in combat positions. I can imagine some decision maker looking over Manning's service record. "Oh, this guy is a transvestite? Well, we can't get rid of him, he makes our numbers look a little better!"

          I have no good words for the chain of command, regarding Manning. I just don't know which bad words to use for them. Incompetence will certainly be part of any fair description of them. They clearly dropped the ball, and allowed a discipline problem to fester, and grow into a much greater problem.

          • (Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Sunday June 10 2018, @05:39AM

            Don't IP packet headers have fields for the classification and compartment?

            And if they don't match on both sides of a router don't the packets get dropped?

            Even if the state department and mannings boxen were both top secret shouldn't they have been in different compartments?

            --
            Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
          • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @05:03PM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @05:03PM (#691136)

            > ...and allowed a discipline problem to fester, and grow into a much greater problem.

            You mean like shooting non-combatants from helicopters. Then shooting the people that come to help them. I'd say that's more than a discipline problem.

            • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday June 10 2018, @07:33PM

              by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Sunday June 10 2018, @07:33PM (#691164) Journal

              How 'bout you watch that video one more time. Keep in mind, that you are sitting in a nice comfy chair, and the scene has helpfully been narrated for you, repeatedly. Then, stop playing Monday night quarterback. Immerse yourself into the video. Forget today's date, your location, your job - forget everything, and immerse yourself into the situation.

              You're in a chopper. You get a request for help from troops on the ground - they are taking fire from enemy located at blah-blah coordinates. You get there, and there are people on the ground, carrying weapons. You can identify half a dozen rifles, and one of the people is carrying something - looks like a shoulder fired rocket. YOU HAVE ZERO REASON TO BELIEVE OR EVEN SUSPECT THAT THERE IS A CAMERA CAMERA CREW ON THE GROUND!! You take them out. Everyone is down, a couple are moving some, when an unidentified, possibly enemy, vehicle pulls up to rescue one of the combatants. You take that vehicle out. Then, you hover, while your buddies on the ground arrive to secure the battleground.

              Well, SHIT - there are kids in the damned van! WTF?

              Try it. Listen to the radio chatter. It's tough, but listen. Those details are part of the chatter, but the people narrating the video to you don't want you to hear it, or pay attention to it.

              The "noncombatant" reporter that you refer to, was EMBEDDED WITH an enemy unit. He was covering the war, just like our own reporters who were embedded with Army and Marine units. Do you understand what that means? It means, the reporter knowingly placed himself in the combat zone. He KNEW that he was in the field of fire. The men he was with were shooting at American troops, he KNEW that return fire would come, sooner or later. He took his chances, and the dice rolled against him.

              I get so tired of you people parroting what you were told about that video. Watch it for yourself. Make at least a small effort to understand the context of what is happening. That won't make things any more palatable, but you can stop parroting nonsense.

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by ElizabethGreene on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:37AM

      by ElizabethGreene (6748) Subscriber Badge on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:37AM (#691012) Journal

      Manning made a mistake in confiding the release to chat friend and reputed computer hacker Lamo, who promptly turned her in to authorities out of "concern for national security".** Some friend, may he rest in peace pieces. /blockquote FTFY.

    • (Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @01:35PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @01:35PM (#691093)

      So if you work in a classified environment and someone tells you "hey, I just dumped a bunch of classified stuff on Wikileaks", what the hell do you think you're supposed to do? Perhaps you have no sense of patriotism, and perhaps you even look down on those who do, but put that aside and consider that just from a legal standpoint you HAVE to report it or YOUR ass is in a sling. Some friend Manning was to now put your neck on the line and make it your problem too.

      Just out of curiosity, what would you have done in that case? Ignored it an hoped that nobody would have ever asked you about it? Helped him out?

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:35AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @02:35AM (#691011)

    Anyone have a link to Lame-o's actual autopsy report?

  • (Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @12:27PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @12:27PM (#691082)

    The only reasonable thing left to do.

    • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @09:28PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 10 2018, @09:28PM (#691183)

      Why do you think he was ashamed of having a transvestite friend?

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