Live data from Hacker News

U.S. arrests former Green Beret, son, in connection with Ghosn escape from Japan

wsj.com

61–70 of 307 posts

Re: U.S. arrests former Green Beret, son, in connection with Ghosn escape from Japan

#61
>U.S. Arrests Former Green Beret, Son, in Connection with Ghosn Escape from Japan

Would the title have been clearer if it were "U.S. Arrests Former Green Beret and Son in Connection with Ghosn Escape from Japan"

I understood the title as meaning that the former Green Beret's name was Son and that said Green Beret was already cited in the media because the title didn't include a "full name", only "Son".

Re: U.S. arrests former Green Beret, son, in connection with Ghosn escape from Japan

#62
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anyone know your typical steps for this process? I guess your first step is to contact your embassy, then look for a local lawyer, then what comes next?

Well, in this case, it involved hiring mercenaries, arranging an elaborate heist involving traditional Lebanese musicians and bribing airport workers in at least three different countries. I think the ability to improvise is crucial.

Presumably this means "hiring one specialist in this area".

Re: U.S. arrests former Green Beret, son, in connection with Ghosn escape from Japan

#63
It's been extremely disturbing to see how much the culture of special operations military has changed in the past 20 years. Previously, Navy Seal and Green Berets operated in silent, keeping the sausage making of military special operations quiet and secret, just doing their duty.

Now, it seems like every Navy SEAL now publically writes a book, sponsors a coffee line, or slaps their name, likeness and story all over everything from T-Shirts to gun accessories to clothing lines. It's made a complete mockery of what has always been a silent service and honorable job, and it's spawned a HUGE environment of tacticool people who want to act and look the part.

And then a lot of these special operations folks have decided to cash in on the privatization component of special operations - we've seen the Venezuelan attempted coup, and this.

Crazy times...

Re: U.S. arrests former Green Beret, son, in connection with Ghosn escape from Japan

#64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Japan is a first world country.

The Japanese criminal justice system is not up to first world standards. "The litany of violations that commonly take place while the detainee is in daiyou kangoku would befit places such as China, Turkey, or the Israeli occupied West Bank. Detainees are subject to extremely long (e.g. over twelve hours) questioning sessions, designed to wear them down. Sleep deprivation is common, as is the deprivation of adequate f…

Hello, have you met the US Criminal Justice System?

No, not that one.

I mean the system used for the poor and/or coloured and/or from a "shithole country." The one that cages children and has decided that prisoners do not need soap or disinfectant in the middle of a deadly pandemic.

The one that shoots first and asks questions later. The one that systemically plants evidence. The one that takes performs "parallel construction" to deceive the courts about the legality of its investigations. The one that had an entire building devoted to making interogatees "disappear."

I could go on, but I think I've made my point. If Japan is not up to "first-world standards," I have difficulty accepting that the US is up to first-world standards, whatever they may be.

Re: U.S. arrests former Green Beret, son, in connection with Ghosn escape from Japan

#65

It will be interesting to follow if they have enough money to fight the extradition in court. The international press loves to make Japanese criminal courts sound like a 12th century madhouse at every opportunity.

More scrutiny the better. Several features of the Japanese criminal justice system, such as, absence of due process, no right to counsel during police interrogations, coercive interrogation techniques (sleep deprivation, stress/pain positions, meal withholding, isolation, etc.), absence of a bail system, absence of an independent judiciary, and so on, deserve as much scrutiny as possible.

I blame Douglas MacArthur, though in his defense Miranda v Arizona wasn’t until 1966.

You forgot to mention that police interrogations can legally go for 3 weeks.

Re: U.S. arrests former Green Beret, son, in connection with Ghosn escape from Japan

#66

It's been extremely disturbing to see how much the culture of special operations military has changed in the past 20 years. Previously, Navy Seal and Green Berets operated in silent, keeping the sausage making of military special operations quiet and secret, just doing their duty. Now, it seems like every Navy SEAL now publically writes a book, sponsors a coffee line, or slaps their name, likeness and story all over…

Because they are fed up with making pennies. It's the case in pretty much every country,only in the US they tend to have a little bit more so called opportunities because of mass obsession about anything military related. In my own country the guys from special forces take unpaid holidays and go abroad for some lucrative private contracts because the government pays peanuts.

Re: U.S. arrests former Green Beret, son, in connection with Ghosn escape from Japan

#67

If these guys are smart, they would take advantage of the current president and do a full on social media push to get his attention. If orchestrated properly it would almost guarantee they are not extradited. It checks all the boxes, military, foreign governments, extradition.

Exactly. Put the memo on Trump's desk and remind him they were special operations soldiers and they're gonna be free and clear.

Re: U.S. arrests former Green Beret, son, in connection with Ghosn escape from Japan

#68
post #30

It will be interesting to follow if they have enough money to fight the extradition in court. The international press loves to make Japanese criminal courts sound like a 12th century madhouse at every opportunity.

I haven't read a great deal about them in the papers, but what I have read is that they have a frighteningly high conviction rate - meaning that either - the police are really good at finding the perpetrators of crimes - the state are really careful about only taking cases to trial they are extremely confident they can win - ... or that simply being tried in court sufficient for convince everyone judges and/or juries…

There's also:

- the police use highly unethical interrogation methods to extract confessions

TBH, it's probably a combination of all four factors.

Re: U.S. arrests former Green Beret, son, in connection with Ghosn escape from Japan

#69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Japanese criminal justice system is not up to first world standards. "The litany of violations that commonly take place while the detainee is in daiyou kangoku would befit places such as China, Turkey, or the Israeli occupied West Bank. Detainees are subject to extremely long (e.g. over twelve hours) questioning sessions, designed to wear them down. Sleep deprivation is common, as is the deprivation of adequate f…

Hello, have you met the US Criminal Justice System? No, not that one. I mean the system used for the poor and/or coloured and/or from a "shithole country." The one that cages children and has decided that prisoners do not need soap or disinfectant in the middle of a deadly pandemic. The one that shoots first and asks questions later. The one that systemically plants evidence. The one that takes performs "parallel con…

The US criminal justice system is certainly not up to snuff for a first-world country either.

Re: U.S. arrests former Green Beret, son, in connection with Ghosn escape from Japan

#70

> U.S. law enforcement learned Peter Taylor had booked a flight from Boston to Beirut departing Wednesday with a layover in London and he was arrested by U.S. marshals as was Michael Taylor [1] Why would someone who just helped a fugitive evade the laws of a country the U.S. has an extradition treaty with feel comfortable remaining in Boston? [1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nissan-ghosn/us-arrests-t...

They obviously didn't? They were trying to fly from Boston to Beirut, Lebanon, where they would have been safe.

Yeah but the warrant for them has been out since Jan 30 or earlier. Weird!
Post reply on HN