Videogame Character Threatens National Security?

Watchful Babbler writes "Apparently, 'the lead item on the government's daily threat matrix one day last April' was clear and definite: a reclusive millionaire had formed a terrorist group with the intent of launching chemical weapons attacks on Western cities. The White House was notified and the Director of the FBI briefed as the government raced to find information. But then, according to USNews.com, a White House staffer decided to Google for information on suspected threat Don Emilio Fulci and found him -- in a video game - Sega's action title Headhunter. No word on exactly which sources and methods came up with this gem, but word in the E Ring is that Fulci had issued the cryptic warning, 'You have no chance to survive make your time'."

Comments

Hmmm

[Neil Blender]

Sounds like the government was trolled.

Re:Hmmm

[Bobdoer]

So, do you think they'd fall for the Goaste link? Or would they be more susceptible to Tubgirl?

Re:Hmmm

[mfh]

> Sounds like the government was trolled.
By Sega, no less!

Re:Hmmm

[Bobdoer]

With their history of it, I can't say I'm surprised.

Re:Hmmm

[Anonymous Coward]

Of course, the Goatse Guy *is* in fact a threat to National Security. He is clearly demonstrating a viable way to smuggle WMD's across the border.

Re:Hmmm

[wackysootroom]

Don't you mean weapons of *ass* destruction?

Notice how the date is in April?

[foidulus]

Could the world's most elaborate April fools be amiss?

Re:Notice how the date is in April?

[Anonymous Coward]

Could it be that you are all being had? Did anyone here bother to cross-examine the validity of this story or do any research? I guess when Slashdotters take things on faith they *must* be right because, well, that's just how the world works. Facts are facts because they fulfill our wildest fantasies.

*sigh*

Re:Notice how the date is in April?

[DJStealth]

I once had a security officer in an Airport stop to ask me "Where is South Park" (I was wearing a South Park T-shirt with writing in Hebrew & English), trying not to laugh, I responded that its a TV show. He then proceeded to ask me to take off my shoes and checked me for explosives.

Amazing

[DiscordOfFive]

Wow. At least we know their intel gathering stuff works.... It just can't tell reality from fantasy.

Easy solution

[Anonymous Coward]

Just recruit Mario Mario and his brother Luigi Mario. They're able to stop any trouble that comes their way.

Oh, you may need to pardon them for their mushroom usage, but it's for a good cause.

Is it me....

[WarlockD]

... or is terrorism winning?

It certainly feels like evey time we get a false positive we panic.

Re:Is it me....

[stratjakt]

The poster says the lead item on the government's daily threat matrix, in quotes as though he was quoting the article, which says no such thing.

Keep in mind the nature of the source, sort of a tongue-in-cheek political gossip column as well.

Some guy phoned in a tip, some low-level FBI grunt kicked it up the chain - as is his job. It was later found to be a hoax and thrown out. There was no panic or mayhem.

This happens all the time, everyone from assholes to crazies phone in to report bad guys from movies, etc. I remember reading an article about the rash of calls law enforcement got after Silence of the Lambs came out - people actually thought Hannibal Lecter was a real guy.

Again an example...

[j0keralpha]

Of a very knee-jerk reaction to security here in the US... What I dont get is how Grade B (uncorroborated, domestic, single-informant) information winds up at the top of the threat matrix, unless someone was trying to play a joke?

Re:Again an example...

[corbettw]

Of a very knee-jerk reaction to security here in the US

Knee-jerk in what way? I don't remember Fulci being placed at the top of the Most Wanted List. Was there an APB put out for him? Did Bush get in front of the microphones and say we had a new, greater, enemy in the war on terror? No, some nutjob phoned in a "tip", and after it went through various channels someone discovered it was a hoax. It happens all the time, nothing to see here, move along.

I also hear...

[decipher_saint]

...that the Princess has been captured again. Good thing Google is up to date on terrorist kidnappings too.

Re:I also hear...

[geekschmoe]

sorry mario, but your terrorist leader is in another castle!

Re:I also hear...

[MisterFancypants]

Sorry, Dubya, but the WMDs are in another bunker !!!!!

not released in the US

[L-Train8]

I don't think the Dreamcast game Headhunter was ever released in the US. You can find PAL versions on eBay, and some game websites have old stories on the game, (for example, gamespot.com), but the stories don't indicate a release date, or if the game ever actually came out. Only in Europe and Japan apparently, although the sequel, Headhunter: Redemption is slated for US release on PS2 and XBox

FBI Tipster revealed to be drunken frat boy

[stratjakt]

When asked for a name, he responded "I. P. Freely".

This links comes from what amounts to a trashy "dc insider" gossip column. Though, this sort of stuff happens all the time. People phone in bogus tips all the time. If they sound legit, they get investigated.

I also object to the articles description of Headhunter as "popular".

"Sir, we've received a terrorist threat!"

[Nova Express]

"Against what?"

"Every single military installation worldwide!"

"Really? What did it say?"

"'All Your Base Are Belong To Us."

Re:"Sir, we've received a terrorist threat!"

[in7ane]

Not funny, and I quote:

"a borderline terrorist threat depending on what someone interprets it to mean."

/struggling to keep a straight face.

Almost unbelievable...

[stefanlasiewski]

The story is so silly it's almost unbelievable.

But then Powell used a Graduate Student's Thesis to justify a war against Iraq in front of the entire world.

Re:Almost unbelievable...

[cheezedawg]

The story is so silly it's almost unbelievable.

Its a freaking rumor. It probably has little truth behind it.

But then Powell used a Graduate Student's Thesis to justify a war against Iraq in front of the entire world.

No he didn't. Here is the text of Powell's UN address. He didn't mention anything from the UK dossier.

Re:Almost unbelievable...

[stefanlasiewski]

He didn't mention anything from the UK dossier.

He praised the document. Here's a quote from Powell's speech (On 2/5/03):

I would call my colleagues' attention to the fine paper that the United Kingdom distributed yesterday which describes in exquisite detail Iraqi deception activities.

The paper in question was "Iraq - its infrastructure of concealment, deception and intimidation".

Number 10 Downing Street later admited that they plagerized a document from a Graduate Thesis (Search for "Iraq"). This certainly puts the quality of some of the intellegence in question.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,8909 16 ,00.html

I'm not arguing with accuracy of the text itself. But look,
this was Bush's chance to provide inarguable evidence that we should go to War.

Powell was presenting the President's argument for War in Iraq in front of the whole world.

The US is supposed to be the greatest nation in the world. We go to war only as a last resort and only when are arguments are sound and just. Right?

Bush could have convinced the entire world if he had used quality evidence, when a huge percentage of the world (and the US) doubted the reasons for war.

So what does Powell, when presenting this inarguable evidence, cite as a "fine paper"? A document was was largely lifted from a Graduate Student thesis.

Did they get this info removed from google?

[GraZZ]

Funny, I googled and got nothing but the news story. Even googling without the quotes doesn't give anything about the game.

Does the US Gov't have hooks into google to prevent "Terrorist" information from being found?

Re:Did they get this info removed from google?

[yeremein]

When I tried "Don Emilio Fulci", I got one result, in French, which is a review for the video game.

Also, Googling for "Don Fulci" gives several results related to Headhunter.

Today's Threat Matrix

[raehl]

NYC sewer system may be target of a disgruntled mafia splinter group, ringleaders believed to be two brothers named Mario and Luigi.

Re:In other news

[KeeperS]

I'm not surprised. Mario is a communist, after all.

Aha!

[sterno]

That would explain the missing WMD's quite nicely :)

If you ask that sort of question ...

[burgburgburg]

or in fact ask any questions or even allow yourself in the solitary darkness to in any way doubt the true path that our holy warriors have been set by our commander in chief and recipient of the true word, then the terrorists have won.

A relocation expert from sunny Guantanamo Bay will be coming by in a few minutes to assist you in understanding the heretical error in your ways. I hope you're photogenic.

Cover for real terrorists

[HermesHuang]

Once this story gets out someone's going to realize that they can disguise an underground movement by naming it after a video game's bad guys. Then the FBI will think it's just a video game clan.

Gameshark

[The_Rippa]

We'll, then all the FBI has to do is plug in their Gameshark and enter the following codes...

Hero Is Immortal 24509328 36F055F8
Enemies Are Blind 24109228 36705568

In other news

[DrugCheese]

Sorry Mario, but our princess is in another castle ...

Re:relax, it's just an abhorrence

[Tackhead]

> They probably got this from some data mining software that processes internet traffic. I'm not surprised that a program would pick this up and not realize that it's a fictional character.

Which reminds me, never mind this Fulci guy, it's been over 20 years and they still haven't found Carmen Sandiego! Where in the world is she?

In other news

[mbkennel]

Rumors among the jihadi-message boards say that Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri have started communicating to each other and their followers "in the open", under code names "Darth Sidious" and "Darth Maul".

The National Security Agency said that comment it will not, but you mustn't underestimate the power of the Emperor.

contrarian...

[moviepig.com]

(Swimming upstream to find a contrary perspective on this...)

Consider the Pentagon folks who looked at this "threat" and suspected sagely (and rightly) that it was too fanciful to be credible.

How closely do they resemble the Pentagon folks who, in early 2000, looked at jet-hijacking scenarios and suspected sagely (and wrongly) that they were too fanciful to be credible?

(See answer in back of book.)

In other news...

[HaloZero]

Law enforcement agencies all across the United States are searching for Tommy Vercetti. He is wanted for a string of felonies including (but not limited to) murder, assualt, battery, weapons sales, grand larceny, and above all else Grand Theft Auto.

All your Iraq are belong to U.S.

[macshune]

While I won't say whether I agree with the war or not, a spontaneous parody is definitely in order.

In A.D. 2003
War was beginning.

Saddam: What happen?
Mechanic: Somebody set up us the bomb.
Operator: We get signal
Saddam: What!
Operator: Main screen turn on.
Captain: It's you! We met in the '80s!
RUMSFELD: How are you gentlemen!!
RUMSFELD: All your Iraq are belong to U.S.
RUMSFELD: We are on the way to your weapons of mass destruction.
Saddam: What you say!!
RUMSFELD: You have no chance to survive make your time.
RUMSFELD: Ha Ha Ha Ha...

Well I've found the...

[exp(pi*sqrt(163))]

...WMD.

National Security Threats

[commodoresloat]

Come on folks, don't be naive. Just because this guy is a video game character does not make him any less a threat to national security. Do we really need another 9/11-style attack before we wake up? Remember after 9/11 when it turned out that the Sesame Street character Bert (of Ernie and Bert) was working closely with Osama bin Laden? Now I don't know a lot about this Don Emilio guy but I will feel much safer when he is locked away in Guantanamo, or at least huddling in a cave in Pakistan somewhere taunting us with audio tapes while American bombs explode nearby....

Et tu, Steve?

[MiceHead]

Steve Jackson Games' venerable story on how the US Secret Service raided them (and was subsequently forced to pay damages) is a good read, for those who've heard of the case, but are not familiar with the details.

On March 1 1990, the offices of Steve Jackson Games, in Austin, Texas, were raided by the U.S. Secret Service as part of a nationwide investigation of data piracy... More than three years later, a federal court awarded damages and attorneys' fees to the game company...

The EFF also has a Top Ten most mis-reported elements of the case:

10. Steve Jackson Games is a computer game company.
9. GURPS Cyberpunk is a computer game.
8. We're out of business.
7. We were raided by the FBI.
6. Some of our staff members were arrested by the Secret Service and charged with hacking.
5. This was part of Operation Sun Devil.
4. The raid was after GURPS Cyberpunk.
3. There was a hacker threat to sabotage the 911 system.
2. We have an employee named Lloyd Blankenship.
1. Steve Jackson Games is the second largest game company in the USA.

This instance with Sega's fictional character, though embarassing for the FBI, is certainly preferable to the above.
_________________________
I long for the day when Google stops asking me, "Did you mean: inigo rage"

Re:"says no such thing" ?!?

[AndroidCat]

Meanwhile, the real Don Emilio Fulci is laughing his ass off in his secret lair. "All it took was a few million dollars in bribes at Sega to have myself added to a video game, then a careful leak to the FBI. Now no US government agent will dare to say that he suspects Emilio Fulci. BWAHAHAHA!" :^)