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McAfee Arrested In Guatemala
Reports are coming in that John McAfee's on again off again relationship with various law enforcement agencies has finally come to an end. According to interior minister Mauricio Lopez Bonilla, he has been arrested in Guatemala after trying to enter the country illegally.
John McAfree?
What a clever pun considering the situation. Surely it was intentional!
For a minute there, I thought John McAfee'd been arrested.
According to USA Today he has requested asylum, claiming he is being persecuted in Belize.
Better known as 318230.
Looks like his License (to kill) expired. The renewal fees were probably too much.
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
that he's going to get a 30 day trial.
He should have morphed himself so their border patrol wouldn't recognize his signature and quarantine him.
and now the Guatemala court system will slow down big time to be able to run McAfee though the system.
An interesting note on how McAfee was busted:
To promote its exclusive access, VICE published a smartphone picture of McAfee with reporter Rocco Castoro. That was a big mistake.
Digitally embedded in the photo was the location where it was taken, and it placed McAfee in Guatemala -- just across the border from Belize. Now the world knew where John McAfee was hiding.
From http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/12/06/belize-mcafee-arrest-idINDEE8B501X20121206
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57557443/john-mcafee-arrested-in-guatemala-for-illegal-entry/
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
You may want to update your definition files.
(Belize and Guatemala are in Central America.)
After reading the timeline of events. It really seems like he didn't pay some protection money. First the police raid his house (for a meth lab) and drop charges, then after he donates to the police the next day all his dogs are killed. He definitely pissed off some people. So is he Crazy? I think hes so damn shaken up he cant think straight and tried to run because he honestly thinks he would be escape goat for a murder and might even be murdered himself.
Timeline @ http://wecheck.org/wiki/John_McAfee
TDLR; I think he was too busy banging the 17 yo and having the good life, so I doubt he had a meth lab and was a drug kingpin.
McAfee said he would seek political asylum in Guatemala, which has been embroiled in a long-running territorial dispute with Belize. There is no extradition treaty between the two countries...
Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
> Why flee to Guatemala?
Okay, I know this flies in the face of every movie ever, but in real life a person who is trying to avoid being detained by law enforcement (for something serious, like murder, not just parking tickets or whatnot) generally has to avoid international airports. Ships are almost as bad. That leaves small boats (like, personal sailboats) as the main way to get off the continent. *Buying* a boat, if you don't already have one, is a frighteningly high-profile activity.
So going by land is a fairly logical choice. That limits the possible destinations somewhat. If you go north from the US, you can only go to Canada. It's not particularly easy to hide in Canada. So the logical thing is to go south. You probably don't want to stay in Mexico, because it's directly adjacent to the country you're fleeing. And you definitely don't want to try to cross the Panama canal, because there are only a couple of bridges that cross it, and it would be trivial for someone (like, say, law enforcement) to have them watched.
So you end up in Central America. This gives you a choice of seven countries to hide in, which means anyone who's looking for you has potentially seven distinct local jurisdictions to deal with (eight if they can't be sure you're not still in Mexico), which is an annoying impediment for them and may just buy you a bit of extra time to figure out what to do. Maybe.
There's still a substantial amount of risk, of course. Running from the law is always going to be somewhat risky. And, indeed, he got caught.
Cut that out, or I will ship you to Norilsk in a box.
Where anonymous cowards bitch and moan about other anonymous cowards...Uh oh! Help! I'm stuck in an infinite loop!
Hello,
From RTFA'ing, it seems that Guatemala and Belize have no mutual legal assistance treat and are, in fact, engaged in a territorial dispute over their border, so I am wondering why Guatemala would bother sending him back to Belize, as opposed to escorting him to the airport and putting him on the next plane out of the country, wherever that might be. Or Mr. McAfee* could certainly afford a flight back to the United States, Switzerland or pretty much any other place.
Even more strange is the report from CBS News quoting Guatemala's Interior Minister Mauricio Lopez Bonilla that "McAfee was detained by police at a hotel in an upscale Guatemala City neighborhood with the help of Interpol agents" (emphasis mine) as Interpol agents do not have arrest powers. Interpol can request that someone be provisionally arrested in order for them to be extradited, but a search of the Wanted Person's database on their web site reveals that no such "Red Notice" has been issued for John McAfee.
I do hope that Mr. McAfee is treated fairly by the Belizean authorities, and that his concerns of abuse and torture at their hands is simply an irrational fear.
Regards,
Aryeh Goretsky
*I was told earlier that is improper to use a title of Doctor since his doctorate is an an honorary degree.
Dexter is a good dog.
If his life was indeed in danger, he handled the situation well. By appearing to behave like a lunatic (on the internet), he got the attention of the international news media. This attention acted as a shield - rather like it does with Julian Assange.
McAfee has brought worldwide attention to the Belize justice system. Now if/when he returns to stand trial, he will be guaranteed a fair hearing. Belize has a growing tourism industry, and won't allow their efforts to be sabotaged by corrupt judicial officials.
Border Areas: A long-standing border dispute between Belize and Guatemala has not been resolved and many areas of the border area are not adequately patrolled. Smugglers, narcotics traffickers and wildlife poachers enter Belize in the shared border region, and there have been incidents of clashes between some of these individuals and Belize military and law enforcement personnel, some of which included the exchange of gunfire. Visitors should avoid trekking or other activities near the Belize-Guatemala border to ensure that they do not inadvertently cross the border into Guatemala. The Embassy cautions U.S. citizens who choose to travel on cross-border public buses between Guatemala and Belize in response to a spike in armed bus attacks by bandits in January 2011. Illegal cross-border activities increase after nightfall. Visitors to the border areas should travel only during daylight.
Belize
CRIME AND SAFETY TIPS: Guatemala has one of the highest violent crime rates in Central America. Between January and September 2012, an average of 95 murders per week were reported countrywide in Guatemala. The vast majority of murders do not involve foreigners; however, the sheer volume of activity means that local officials, who are often inexperienced and underpaid, are unable to cope with the problem. Rule of law is lacking as the judicial system is weak, overworked, and inefficient. Criminals know there is little chance they will be caught or punished as the rate of convictions/resolution are very low.
The number of violent crimes reported by U.S. citizens and other foreigners has remained high and incidents have included, but are not limited to, assault, theft, armed robbery, carjacking, rape, kidnapping, and murder, even in areas of Guatemala City once considered safe.
Guatemala is a country with many different and firmly held local beliefs and customs. Particularly in small villages, residents are often wary and suspicious of outsiders. In the past, Guatemalan citizens have been lynched for suspicion of child abduction, so we recommend that U.S. citizens keep a distance from local children, and refrain from actions that could fuel such suspicions. In addition, U.S. citizens are advised to be aware of and avoid activities that might unintentionally violate a cultural or religious belief. The following recommendations will help residents and visitors alike to increase their safety:
Avoid gatherings of agitated people. Attempting to intervene may put you at risk of attacks from mobs.
Avoid close contact with local children, including taking photographs, especially in rural areas. Such contact can be viewed with deep suspicion and may provoke panic and violence.
Keep informed of possible demonstrations by following the local news and consulting hotel personnel and tour guides. Avoid areas where demonstrations are occurring.
Guatemala
McAfee seems to have cut pretty close to the line in his pursuit of young women in Belize. Not a pedophile. But not someone to be trusted, either. A bizarre visit to John McAfee's pleasure palace in Belize
Mcafee got arrested.
A guy who allegedly understands security murders someone (allegedly), and then proceeds to be "on the run" throughout the third world, while stopping twice a day to give the media an interview, tell them where he is and what he's up to, reality TV style.
The surprising twist in the story: The authorities found him.
Who woulda bloody thunk.
This guy should be shot for stupidity even before being tried for murder.
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In the event that it really was a case of Belize trying to set him up and him needing to get out, the US would almost certainly help him. It extends powerful protections to its citizens. He gets in the embassy, he's back in US territory and the rest isn't a big deal, given the US's resources.
However if you do a little digging you find that he's probably not on that good a terms with the US, and that's why he left. His move there wasn't because it is an unparalleled paradise or because he has ties there or something, it was because he was running from the US more or less.