Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Large Hadron Collider Scientist Arrested For al-Qaeda Ties

Posted by timothy on from the now-that's-gratitude-for-ya dept.

mindbrane writes "A scientist working as a subcontractor on a peripheral LHC project has been arrested as a terrorist. The CBC is running a story outlining the arrest of a man on Thursday in south-east France for suspected al-Qaeda links: 'CERN officials said the man, whose name has not been revealed, was working under contract with an outside institute and said he had no contact with anything that could have been used for terrorism. He had been at CERN since 2003, officials said. ... The news that someone with terrorist connections might have worked at the facility is likely to cause concern because of both the high profile of the giant physics experiment and also the technology in use, which has made some members of the public nervous.'"

6 of 245 comments (clear)

  1. Six degrees of separation by AmonTheMetalhead · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Everyone can be linked to Al Qaeda

    1. Re:Six degrees of separation by PPH · · Score: 3, Insightful

      We funded and armed the predecessors of the Taliban in their fight against the Soviets. And we continued to support them in their suppression of criminal warlords and the opium trade through the mid 1990s. Since the Taliban and al Qaida cooperate and share personnel, its quite probable that 'we' (through the CIA or overtly through the State Department) have supported al Qaida in the past.

      We have a dismal history of keeping tabs on our friinds while we carefully monitor those we consider to be our enemies. But then that's just human nature.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
  2. Seriously by agge · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I would suspect that the worst that i has done is to send some money home to relatives in a Arab country.

  3. so you don't have to DO anything anymore? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    so you don't have to DO anything anymore to get arrested? He was arrested for "al-Qaeda ties"? what does that mean exactly? Did he kill anyone? Did he plot to kill anyone? Did he know about a plot to kill anyone? It sounds like his sister's friend's neighbor had a cousin who was friends with someone in Al Qaeda back in 1990.

    Also, from TFA: "The news that someone with terrorist connections might have worked at the facility is likely to cause concern because of both the high profile of the giant physics experiment and also the technology in use, which has made some members of the public nervous"

    So people are concerned about someone (with terrorist connections) MIGHT have worked at the facility?!?? OMG that's a reason to start rounding up everybody with brown skin!
    Geesh

  4. Re:And I thought the al quaeda BS would finally st by couchslug · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "And I thought after we got rid of george w bush, all the "al quaeda this" and "axis of evil that" and "osama this" and "emmanuel goldstein that", "give me all your money and all your rights or they'll kill you" would finally stop..."

    Being paranoid over Al Qaeda doesn't meant they aren't a viable threat, though paranoia doesn't make for well thought-out policy decisions.

    --
    "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
  5. Re:Better news article - More to this by westlake · · Score: 4, Insightful
    First off, it's hard to believe guys like this decide to blow things up.

    It isn't hard to believe at all.

    Intellectuals of a certain type have always been attracted to games of espionage, treason and conspiracy - and "game" is, I think, the right word here:

    Cambridge Five, Whittaker Chambers

    Most probably don't expect to be around when things blow up - but now and again you may find an exception: 2001 Anthrax Attacks

    These guys are so smart.

    The geek really ought to have learned by now that the smart and the arrogant make stupid mistakes. Hans Reiser