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.

Curious timing: Wikileaks’ founder Julian Assange wanted for rape. Honey Trap? UPDATE: Prosecutor withdraws charges

Via the Wall Street Journal online edition:

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The allegations are molestation and rape," the Swedish Prosecution Authority said in its statement, adding that Mr. Assange has not yet been apprehended. Officials in the agency's press office didn't answer the phone. 

WikiLeaks last month published 76,000 classified U.S. military documents about the war in Afghanistan. Mr. Assange, an Australian, has been in Sweden in recent days, where WikiLeaks has some infrastructure. The Pentagon has sharply criticized Mr. Assange for publishing the documents, saying it could put the lives of solidiers and Afghan civilians at risk. Mr. Assange has said he plans to publish up to 15,000 more documents about the war soon. He defends the publications, saying greater transparency is needed about civilian casualties, U.S. military tactics and other issues.

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Assange is a snake, but I find the timing of this quite curious.  Wikileaks has said it’s set to publish more documents about US conduct of the war in Afghanistan, any or all of which could cost the lives of US soldiers, civilians and Afghan friendlies. 

Merely publishing an accusation of committing a horrendous crime against another human being won’t mean squat to Assange.  He already has the blood of untold numbers of people on his hands, so embarrassing and humiliating him won’t cause him to rethink his concept, here.

Could western intelligence have set up Assange in a “Honey Trap?”  Speculation, of course.  But the Honey Trap is one of the oldest spook tricks in the book, and it’s used so often because it’s so effective.  Attractive female operative makes it known that she’s interested.  Subject can’t resist her feminine charms, and falls seduced.  Female operative collects all evidence necessary to convict the subject, the trap is sprung, and the subject goes away, for a while.

Update: Oh well.  Prosecutors withdraw the charges. Tom Clancy stands down.

Gimme some feedback in the comments.