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Sci-Fi Government The Military

FBI, Air Force Agents Mysteriously Raid House of Guy Who Runs Area 51 Blog (gizmodo.com) 107

Posted by BeauHD from the sending-a-message dept.
Earlier this month, agents from both the FBI and the U.S. Air Force raided multiple homes belonging to a man who runs a little-known blog about Area 51. Gizmodo reports: That man, Joerg Arnu, said the swarm of federal agents in riot gear busted into his primary residence, handcuffed him, then marched him outside to wait in the freezing cold while they rifled through his apartment and took pretty much every piece of electronic equipment that he owned. So far, the government has been pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing, but officials did verify that it happened. In a statement provided to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Lt. Col. Bryon McGarry confirmed the raid. He did not elaborate on its purpose, saying only: "This is an open and ongoing law enforcement investigation between the Las Vegas FBI and Air Force OSI."

What did cops want? It's not exactly clear. Since 1999, Arnu has run Dreamland Resort, a website that covers activities in and around Area 51, the notoriously secretive government facility located in Groom Lake, Nevada. Long the subject of speculation and curiosity, the highly classified facility is the site of myriad UFO sightings. Coincidentally (or not), it is also the location where the Air Force reportedly tests and develops some of its most sensitive and experimental new projects and aircraft (see: the U-2 spy plane in the 1950s, for instance). Among other things, Arnu's site features pictures and writing about the Air Force's so-called "black projects" -- opaque, classified operations carried out behind a veil of government secrecy. Arnu claims that the agents confiscated his "laptops, phones, backup drives, camera gear, and my drone were seized." He describes the situation in detail in a blog post on his website.
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FBI, Air Force Agents Mysteriously Raid House of Guy Who Runs Area 51 Blog More

FBI, Air Force Agents Mysteriously Raid House of Guy Who Runs Area 51 Blog

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  • A blogger who owns multiple homes (Score:4, Insightful)

    by 93 Escort Wagon ( 326346 ) on Friday November 18, 2022 @08:34PM (#63062649)

    Conspiracy theories pay pretty well, I guess.
     

  • at least the blogger did not disappear or supposedly committed suicide yet.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by cstacy ( 534252 )

      at least the blogger did not disappear or supposedly committed suicide yet.

      Those men in black did not come to your house and take your electronics. What you saw was Venus, I assure you...

  • Not surprising (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Berkyjay ( 1225604 ) on Friday November 18, 2022 @09:08PM (#63062685)

    If he's tracking activity of a high security military base, I can't imagine the military will take that too well.

    • Yup.

      It's a federal crime to photograph a restricted part of a base.
      If the AF had reason to believe he did, and got something they didn't want seen, then they hand that off to the FBI, the FBI gets a warrant, and then it's raid time. (Military has no police powers)
      • If he has done something illegal, charge him. Which they haven't done.

        • If he has done something illegal, charge him. Which they haven't done.

          I'm confused, why do you think they have to charge him right now?
          Habeas Corpus only applies if you're detained. If they decide to hold him- then they need to charge him. If they're not holding him, they're free to investigate.
          That's how the system works. How it's designed to work.

          Are you trying to imply that they can't investigate without charging?

          • Just like how all the Jan 6 people have been charged after 18+ months.

            Oh... wait....

            He'll quietly die in a lightly reported car wreck in about 6 weeks.

            • Jesus fucking christ, you sad little insect.

              Just like how all the Jan 6 people have been charged after 18+ months.

              Name a single Jan 6 defendant who was detained for 18+ months without being charged.
              Just one.

              He'll quietly die in a lightly reported car wreck in about 6 weeks.

              Seek help. You're unhinged. You're the kind of fuckers who break into old men's houses and beat them with hammers.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by MeNeXT ( 200840 )

            It's not the investigating that is the issue. It's the seizure without explanation.

            • It's not the investigating that is the issue. It's the seizure without explanation.

              You have a right against unreasonable search and seizure.
              You have no right to a speedy investigation. You have no right to know the details of your investigation until it's in a court room.

              As long as a judge signs off on the search and seizure, it is considered reasonable.

              What system do you wish to replace ours?

        • That's not how FBI investigations work. Presumably they raided him for probable cause and indictments will happen at the outcome of the investigation depending on what they found and any other evidence they have.

          • FBI are just police, they are not supposed to be able to seize all your shit without a warrant or even telling you what the charges are (which should be on the warrant.) It was described as a "law enforcement investigation" and not as a national security action, so they should still be following the laws as pertain to civilian matters. This was some Gestapo shit, the only way it could be moreso is if they did it at 2AM and put a bag on his head while he waited in the cold — which if it was literally f

            • He's little people. You think legal protections and rights are for little people?

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by DrXym ( 126579 )
              The manner in which the FBI conduct searches is well documented. Investigators convince a judge they have probable cause that a person / location contains items of evidence related to a federal crime, a judge signs a search warrant and then the search is executed. And yes it will say that on the warrant what they are looking for. And yes they can seize your "shit" if its listed on the warrant, presumably electronic devices like computers, drones, storage cards etc. That stuff will off for examination of any

              • Of course they can seize your belongings, I never even slightly suggested otherwise. What they cannot do legally is seize them without a warrant, or refuse to show you the warrant. Granted, cops do this shit every day, but I never suggested for a second that it was impossible for them to break the law either. Consequently, I'm not sure what you thought the value of your comment was.

                I have no idea who this guy is or what the warrant said but he presumably has a paper copy if he wants to say.

                I don't take what people say at face value, but he claims that they wouldn't give him any information. Presumably that means al

                • I don't take what people say at face value, but he claims that they wouldn't give him any information. Presumably that means also a copy of the warrant.

                  It could, but it could also mean he asked a bunch of questions which they ignored while executing the search. I find it hard to relive they would do search without a warrant as that would likely render whatever found inadmissable. He may never actually be charged if the government does not want to risk disclosure of whatever they were looking for; such as some secret project or its details.

                  • I find it hard to relive they would do search without a warrant as that would likely render whatever found inadmissable.

                    No one said they did a search without a warrant

                    • I find it hard to relive they would do search without a warrant as that would likely render whatever found inadmissable.

                      No one said they did a search without a warrant

                      Fair enough, I should have added "and not shown the warrant..." My point was the "wouldn't tell him anything" is not surprising because all they have to do is have a warrant; not answer any questions about it.

                    • My point was the "wouldn't tell him anything" is not surprising because all they have to do is have a warrant; not answer any questions about it.

                      You are not legally obligated to comply with a warrant the police won't show you [nolo.com]. Elements of the warrant might be redacted for reasons of national security in a case like this, but they are still obligated to provide the warrant. Otherwise, how do you know they even have one?

                      Now, maybe they actually did show him the warrant, and he's lying, what do I know?

                    • My point was the "wouldn't tell him anything" is not surprising because all they have to do is have a warrant; not answer any questions about it.

                      You are not legally obligated to comply with a warrant the police won't show you [nolo.com]. Elements of the warrant might be redacted for reasons of national security in a case like this, but they are still obligated to provide the warrant. Otherwise, how do you know they even have one?

                      Now, maybe they actually did show him the warrant, and he's lying, what do I know?

                      I think we are pretty much in agreement overall, I showed have been more specific in my comments. My guess is they showed him the warrant, refused to answer any questions and went about the search; but, like you, what do I know. I suspect there is more to the story than has come out, as always.

              • His paper copy was missing 40 pages. They are likely classified.

                • Re: (Score:2)

                  by DrXym ( 126579 )
                  Well he should print what he has. But who has a 40 page warrant? Even Trump's warrant was a couple of pages.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by caseih ( 160668 )

        I don't see anything recent there, and certainly nothing you can't find in many other places on the interwebs, including Google Maps satellite imagery. And most information dates back years and is well known including pictures from magazine and news articles. For example https://www.dreamlandresort.co... [dreamlandresort.com].

        Maybe someone new got hired at the local FBI field office and felt the need to exercise some new-found power just because. This gentleman, however conspiracy-minded he might be, deserves to be able to de

        • Ya, I didn't see anything "new", either, but a judge signed off on this. The FBI presented something approaching reasonable suspicion.

          How do you figure he can't defend himself? A search warrant has been executed- yes. That happens in the course of an investigation.

          As for the shitty limbo you're in between your shit getting seized, and you either being charged, or the investigation being ended- well, that's simply a part of our legal system. It exists at all levels.
          Your only protection from that is a ju

          • A judge signed off? Like all those bullshit FISA warrants?

            I feel better now, thanks!

            • It doesn't matter how you feel. That's the system.

              Quit spewing your political filth all over everything. It's gross.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by MeNeXT ( 200840 )

            That is not true. Your only protection from this is money. Do you have enough to hire the team of lawyers to hold the system accountable. When you have a lot of money the government thinks twice about the consequences. When you don't, it doesn't matter. It's amazing that you believe the one sided argument the judge receives is adequate to defend your rights.

            • That is not true. Your only protection from this is money. Do you have enough to hire the team of lawyers to hold the system accountable. When you have a lot of money the government thinks twice about the consequences.

              Not really. They think twice about the chance of failure.
              If the chance of failure is low in their eyes, money won't save you.
              Do you need a recent example to demonstrate this?

              It's amazing that you believe the one sided argument the judge receives is adequate to defend your rights.

              It's amazing that you think your rights were intended to prevent the Government from investigating crimes.

              It's almost like nuance was required. I wonder if they wrote an Amendment about that....

              You sound like a sovereign citizen.

      • Re:Not surprising (Score:4, Informative)

        by blackomegax ( 807080 ) on Saturday November 19, 2022 @02:22PM (#63064313) Journal
        It's a federal crime to photograph a restricted part of a base while IN the restricted area.

        It is NOT a crime to photograph it from public land, adjacent land, or public airspace. Photography is protected by the 1st amendment.

        It is the responsibility of groom lake airbase to visually secure all confidential materials away from line of sight to land air or space where a camera can operate legally.

        • It's a federal crime to photograph a restricted part of a base while IN the restricted area.

          Incorrect.

          It is NOT a crime to photograph it from public land, adjacent land, or public airspace. Photography is protected by the 1st amendment.

          Incorrect.

          It is the responsibility of groom lake airbase to visually secure all confidential materials away from line of sight to land air or space where a camera can operate legally.

          Incorrect.

          18 U.S. Code S. 795 cares not where you are located when you do it.
          What's amazing here is that you were positively moderated when you were wrong about literally every fucking single thing that you said.

          • Yep, SlashDot's moderation continues to weaken The original generation didn't get enough karma, and new accounts get too much.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Jeremi ( 14640 )

      I suspect he may have inadvertently wandered too far to the right on the FAFO x-axis [youtube.com].

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by MeNeXT ( 200840 )

      Guilty until proven innocent. The basis of American law or is that your assumption?

  • His drone was seized, oh my. (Score:3)

    by Kernel Kurtz ( 182424 ) on Friday November 18, 2022 @09:10PM (#63062691)
    Maybe he was flying it where he was not supposed to? That would be my guess.
    • That, or took pictures of something he wasn't allowed to, while somewhere he was allowed to be.

      Both are Federal crimes.

      • That, or took pictures of something he wasn't allowed to, while somewhere he was allowed to be. Both are Federal crimes.

        Perhaps, time will tell. The words "drone" and "restricted airspace" don't go well together though.

    • Me too. Drones have made it easy for anyone to go snoop places they can get in serious trouble for.

  • Posting pictures of classified projects is a REALLY bad idea as you suddenly are deemed a threat to national security. It doesn't matter which country you are in because that's a bad idea. In less civil nations, you would just "disappear".

  • when you're in a war you want to protect your secrets, and the US is always in a war.

  • Time traveler (Score:3)

    by real_nickname ( 6922224 ) on Saturday November 19, 2022 @01:40AM (#63062997)
    Looking at his website, he is a time traveler from 1999. His site is perfect, visitor counter, horrible colors, boxes... I love it.

    • And yet it somehow looks dramatically better than Facebook or Twitter.

      • Facebook looks awful all day, Twitter looks fine but clicks on whitespace do things so from a usability standpoint it's a dumpster fire... just like youtube, which actually does look pretty awful now that I think of it.

        • Beyond just aesthetics, when I look at the old web page, I see pages of raw, uncut information. Whereas Facebook tries to dilute content with ads just below the point of unbearability.

          So it's a relief to look at that old web page filled with content.

          • I don't see ads on Facebook, in fact I mostly don't even see any sponsored content because I run so many extensions to prevent it (including FB Purity.)

            By the same token, I don't see ads on Twitter... or Slashdot. Although here I actually do see sponsored content obviously, since most of it is.

            • When I say ads (both on Facebook and recently on Twitter) I mean newsfeed content that they bring up that is entirely unrelated to me.

              I run so many extensions to prevent it (including FB Purity.)

              Thanks, I'll try it.

          • Worst, modern web is mostly made of videos, images and short comments. Text based sites are now the exception and don't make money.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by jonadab ( 583620 )
        Fair.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by sc0t ( 10132216 )
      Please tell me there is an animated GIF of a mailbox opening and closing with blinking text below it "EMAIL THE WEB MASTER", and on the bottom of the page are two sawhorses and a stick figure of a man digging above the UNDER CONSTRUCTION text
  • I don't see how bad this guy is doing if USA was taking pictures of Iranian's missile lunch facilities.

    Ba-dum-bum schhhhhh
    • Oh! I get it now!

      It's bad because you're located IN the country and violating its laws.

      But if you manage to build a satellite with a camera attach to it and take pictures from 160km then it's OK and fair game.
  • Come now, it's Las Vegas. I don't know what the actual temperature was but I'm pretty sure it wasn't freezing.
  • So, were they wearing sheets, and going "WooooOOOOooooOOOOO"?
  • ...designed to to make the accused look guilty and justify any retaliation made by the unsuspecting homeowner. It was one guy at home, a knock on the door would have sufficed.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

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