6 ms·

This seems very light on actual details on what happened, whom they are, etcetera without being asked to search through 100 pages to uncover each detail?

owlninja 3y ago
And they've raised 17 thousand bucks so far.
rudyfink 3y ago
Here are some news articles that have covered the raid: -https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2022/11/18/air-force-fbi-raid-homes-of-man-with-area-51-website/ https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2022/11/18... -https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/joerg-arnu-area-51-fbi-raid-b2368462.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/joerg-arnu... -https://nypost.com/2022/11/17/federal-agents-raid-nevada-homes-of-area-51-website-founder/ https://nypost.com/2022/11/17/federal-agents-raid-nevada-hom...
idiotsecant 3y ago
looks like the FBI busted down his door, took all his stuff 6 months ago and never charged him with a crime or returned any property. Seems bad enough to me on the surface. I have to admit I am intensely curious about what hit this big of a nerve with the feds.
- rolph 3y ago
  likely posting pix and panorams of the base along with analysis of observations For Anyone To See.
- whartung 3y ago
  My read from one of the warrants is that the FBI et al can keep anything pertaining to the investigation. Apparently after 6 months, that investigation is still active. This is why they’re not commenting on anything or returning anything. Honestly this all seems pretty normal based solely on a long history of TV watching. I mean the investigation may not even be primarily about him. Who knows what it’s all about. IANAL.
- helsinkiandrew 3y ago
  The search warrants are relating to “information and records about military installations and their operation”. Taking photos and flying drones at classified military locations is probably what hit the nerve of the feds.
Lammy 3y ago
He's the guy who runs this website https://dreamlandresort.com/ https://dreamlandresort.com/ The warrants cite "Photographing and Sketching Defense Installations" a.k.a. it's over stuff like this https://dreamlandresort.com/area51/panorama_0523.html https://dreamlandresort.com/area51/panorama_0523.html
- predictabl3 3y ago
  Well, this was interesting, even if I have no idea what I'm looking at and my skepticism about all things remains high.
  - ethanbond 3y ago
    You’re looking at free intel provided to China/Russia etc about US next generation weapons capabilities! They develop aircraft here, stuff that is wildly important to the (current) global security regime. Not a thing I’d personally want to be recklessly/ignorantly poking and prodding by releasing photos like that.
    - PrimeMcFly 3y ago
      Then the military ought to choose a better location, somewhere a civilian with a good camera can't take such compromising photos.
      - scrum-treats 3y ago
        so... time travel back to pre-2020s?
      - downvotetruth 3y ago
        Alaska tundra would probably be the best spot given the absence of people, cloud cover, ice as runway, and cold for engine efficiency. Would be interesting to know how many mountain tops would need to be closed to stop the ground cameras for 51.
o11c 3y ago
"Do not take photos of secret military installations (especially using drones)" seems a relevant takeaway. It's disingenuous that he says "I didn't do anything illegal" when the search warrants lists the laws that were broken. Though the fact that it's basically vandalism is still concerning. But the photos only show door damage, not sure where those $numbers are coming from.
- Lammy 3y ago
  Can't take photos of equipment that's been confiscated (computers, any external storage, etc)
  - o11c 3y ago
    The $numbers are specified separately for "taken" and "damaged".
- ethanbond 3y ago
  Going through the website linked above it’s pretty obvious this would be a huge, huge security problem for an installation like that and yeah, ultimately for the nation.
- cycomanic 3y ago
  So if he has broken a law why is he not being charged? What happened to due process? If they are not charging him it has at least not been determined by law that he has broken the law, in fact he has not even been formally accused of it. Still he is being punished with $30,000. I wonder how you would react if the police would take e.g. your car under the pretence of "we think you might have been speeding" and after six month you still have not have your car returned, or been actually fined (or taken to court for speeding). But the only comment on a forum is "well he should have been speeding".
  - doubleg72 3y ago
    Cause taking photos of military installation is equivalent to a summary offense such as speeding, huh?
cycomanic 3y ago
I had no idea of the whole issue and it took my all of 10min reading to understand what happened. I know the attention economy requires immediate gratification, but I thought we are better than this here at HN. If you're not interested enough to read a page or two, why comment?

owlninja 3y ago

And they've raised 17 thousand bucks so far.

rudyfink 3y ago

Here are some news articles that have covered the raid: -https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2022/11/18/air-force-fbi-raid-homes-of-man-with-area-51-website/ https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2022/11/18... -https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/joerg-arnu-area-51-fbi-raid-b2368462.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/joerg-arnu... -https://nypost.com/2022/11/17/federal-agents-raid-nevada-homes-of-area-51-website-founder/ https://nypost.com/2022/11/17/federal-agents-raid-nevada-hom...

idiotsecant 3y ago

looks like the FBI busted down his door, took all his stuff 6 months ago and never charged him with a crime or returned any property. Seems bad enough to me on the surface. I have to admit I am intensely curious about what hit this big of a nerve with the feds.

rolph 3y ago
likely posting pix and panorams of the base along with analysis of observations For Anyone To See.
whartung 3y ago
My read from one of the warrants is that the FBI et al can keep anything pertaining to the investigation. Apparently after 6 months, that investigation is still active. This is why they’re not commenting on anything or returning anything. Honestly this all seems pretty normal based solely on a long history of TV watching. I mean the investigation may not even be primarily about him. Who knows what it’s all about. IANAL.
helsinkiandrew 3y ago
The search warrants are relating to “information and records about military installations and their operation”. Taking photos and flying drones at classified military locations is probably what hit the nerve of the feds.

Lammy 3y ago

He's the guy who runs this website https://dreamlandresort.com/ https://dreamlandresort.com/ The warrants cite "Photographing and Sketching Defense Installations" a.k.a. it's over stuff like this https://dreamlandresort.com/area51/panorama_0523.html https://dreamlandresort.com/area51/panorama_0523.html

predictabl3 3y ago
Well, this was interesting, even if I have no idea what I'm looking at and my skepticism about all things remains high.
- ethanbond 3y ago
  You’re looking at free intel provided to China/Russia etc about US next generation weapons capabilities! They develop aircraft here, stuff that is wildly important to the (current) global security regime. Not a thing I’d personally want to be recklessly/ignorantly poking and prodding by releasing photos like that.
  - PrimeMcFly 3y ago
    Then the military ought to choose a better location, somewhere a civilian with a good camera can't take such compromising photos.
    - scrum-treats 3y ago
      so... time travel back to pre-2020s?
    - downvotetruth 3y ago
      Alaska tundra would probably be the best spot given the absence of people, cloud cover, ice as runway, and cold for engine efficiency. Would be interesting to know how many mountain tops would need to be closed to stop the ground cameras for 51.

o11c 3y ago

"Do not take photos of secret military installations (especially using drones)" seems a relevant takeaway. It's disingenuous that he says "I didn't do anything illegal" when the search warrants lists the laws that were broken. Though the fact that it's basically vandalism is still concerning. But the photos only show door damage, not sure where those $numbers are coming from.

Lammy 3y ago
Can't take photos of equipment that's been confiscated (computers, any external storage, etc)
- o11c 3y ago
  The $numbers are specified separately for "taken" and "damaged".
ethanbond 3y ago
Going through the website linked above it’s pretty obvious this would be a huge, huge security problem for an installation like that and yeah, ultimately for the nation.
cycomanic 3y ago
So if he has broken a law why is he not being charged? What happened to due process? If they are not charging him it has at least not been determined by law that he has broken the law, in fact he has not even been formally accused of it. Still he is being punished with $30,000. I wonder how you would react if the police would take e.g. your car under the pretence of "we think you might have been speeding" and after six month you still have not have your car returned, or been actually fined (or taken to court for speeding). But the only comment on a forum is "well he should have been speeding".
- doubleg72 3y ago
  Cause taking photos of military installation is equivalent to a summary offense such as speeding, huh?

cycomanic 3y ago

I had no idea of the whole issue and it took my all of 10min reading to understand what happened. I know the attention economy requires immediate gratification, but I thought we are better than this here at HN. If you're not interested enough to read a page or two, why comment?