So these ‘assurances’ can vanish at any moment and the decision over Assange’s conditions will be taken by the very people who had no qualms about formulating plans to kidnap or kill him. So the very same agency which planned to either kidnap or kill Assange will be deciding whether he should be held in life-threatening conditions in US prisons.Īnd Assange can expect no protection from the so-called ‘assurances’ that are being offered to the High Court this week because in the very same document that these assurances are advanced it is also stated that they can be withdrawn at any time in the future if the US authorities see fit. Well, amazingly, it is the CIA which has the say in how prisoners held under the Espionage Act, the legislation which is for the first time ever being used against a journalist in the Assange case, are treated in the US prison system. How does this frightening tale of CIA planned illegality impact this week’s appeal hearing? The plans were discussed at the highest level in the CIA and even got as far as discussions with British officials, whose only objections were that if firearms were to be used or cars rammed on British streets it should be by UK spooks not American spooks who were involved. Yahoo News interviewed over 30 serving and former CIA officers and revealed that the agency had discussed the possibility of kidnapping or even assassinating Julian Assange while he was seeking asylum in the Ecuadorean embassy in London. The most important part of the US appeal is the ‘assurances’ that the US is offering that Julian Assange will not undergo the most Draconian incarceration that the American prison system has to offer.īut explosive findings about the CIA by an investigative journalism team at Yahoo News have exposed just how hollow are those assurances.
That attempt was frustrated at the start of this year when Westminster Magistrates Court ruled that Assange would be at risk of suicide if he were incarcerated in the US prison system, which the Judge said was ‘oppressive’. United States’ lawyers will launch an appeal at the High Court tomorrow in an attempt to restart Julian Assange’s extradition to America. It isn’t known if the Heart Attack Gun was ever used, but a search of Communist-era officials and agents could reveal who died suddenly of a heart attack.As Julian Assange comes back to court, John Rees looks at the revelations that the CIA were prepared to kidnap or kill the founder of Wikileaks It would look like the victim died of natural causes. The idea was that no one would know the target was even shot. For that reason, this weapon has been dubbed the Heart Attack Gun.
It was designed to penetrate clothing yet leave skin unmarked except for a small red bump that could resemble an insect bite.Ī frozen toxic dart would then trigger a heart attack. They appeared in the 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, written and directed by Quentin Tarantino.Ī Senate hearing in the 1970s revealed that the CIA had developed a dart gun capable of causing a heart attack. The guns have become a part of pop culture over the years. military, about 50 to 200 of these were made and more importantly issued. Unlike many of the other weapons on this list, which were one-off items, according to the U.S. 38 S&W barrel mounted alongside the plunger and could fire just the single round. Navy and made by RF Sedgley during World War II. The Glove Guns were reportedly designed for the U.S. Spy Guns: If the glove fits you can use it to take out the enemy. It was difficult to aim and had a range of just nine feet. 32 ACP and 9x19mm, but the effectiveness of the weapon is questionable. Up Your Sleeve Spy Gunsĭeveloped during World War II by Station IX of the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), the Sleeve Gun was basically a Welrod pistol without the pistol grip. That said throughout the 20th century there were some actual spy guns that various intelligence agencies issued – generally with less than the desired effect. In the real world, spies don’t generally carry gizmos and gadgets, and real “tradecraft” is about gathering intelligence. Of course, the most ingenious weapon in the Bond films was the Golden Gun but that was carried by the villain. Throughout the Cold War – and even after – Bond was issued with such interesting weapons as a wrist dart gun, a gyrojet rocket gun in a cigarette, a fountain pen gun, a ski pole gun, and notably a camera sniper rifle.
Movie spies like James Bond didn’t just get the girl, they often were provided with some truly innovative firearms. Let’s take a look at some real-world spy guns.
Above image: James Bond had a “Signature Camera Gun” in the film License to Kill – but real spies had less high-tech weapons.