Wikileaks’ founder Julian Assange and the “Honey Trap”

I’m more convinced than ever.  Julian Assange was the target in a botched attempt of the age-old ploy known as the Honey Trap. 

The game works thusly:

• A subject is identified as a potential source of intelligence, or is identified as a potential problem for an ongoing operation.
• An attractive operative, usually a contact of the subject, or someone who is at least known to  someone in his circle of contacts, lets the subject know that he or she is interested in ‘extracurricular’ activities.
• The operative gains the confidence of the subject, and the two engage in at least one encounter.
• During their encounter(s), the operative clandestinely collects evidence of their activities, including DNA, an item or two of clothing, spent prophylactics, etc.
• At an opportune time, the trap is sprung by the organization conducting the exercise, and the subject is either compromised into cooperating or if a crime is alleged, the subject is silenced by incarceration.

Assange is publicly saying he was the target of a smear campaign. News reports do not say whether the alleged encounter(s) occurred or not, which means that they probably did.

Consider also the curious timing of the allegations. Just before Assange’s organization is set to release a potentially damaging  cache of secret documents, he’s accused of rape and someone in the Swedish constabulary “leaks” Assange’s name and indictment.  Things that make you go “hmmm.”

So how did this one go wrong?  It’s all speculation, but I suspect that Swedish officials smelled the “honey” and realizing that Assange was being set up, dropped the charges.

What a tangled web we weave…

Gimme some feedback in the comments.