back to article Guatemalan judge orders McAfee released from detention

A Guatemalan judge has reportedly ordered the release of John McAfee, after ruling the anti-virus pioneer turned Belizean manhunt target was being detained illegally. McAfee is due to be released from detention at the central immigration centre in Guatemala City on Wednesday. In an update to his official blog, McAfee said he …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    One can only assume

    that the upcoming movie will be a comedy.

    1. What of IT?

      Re: One can only assume

      with this development it could have a sort of My Cousin Vinny plot to this part of the movie.

  2. Busby
    Joke

    I would assume a farce starring Randy Quaid. Since he also seems to have these sort of "adventures" so would easily slip into the role.

  3. Goldmember

    "Judge Judith Secaida"

    Judge Judy released him!

    I'd wondered what she was up to these days.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Holmes

      Re: "Judge Judith Secaida"

      The rest of this story has been so strange that McAfee being released by Judge Judy sounds like an anticlimax somehow. I suspect that somewhere in the story of his pursuit or release a long-lost evil twin or a man with a prostethic arm is going to show up, or maybe his flight back to the U.S. will be hijacked by right-wing Christian lesbian terrorists.

  4. El Presidente

    Has anyone stopped to consider ...

    That John Macafee might have reason to be scared?

    http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,FREEHOU,,BLZ,,4c0ceb052,0.html

    Corruption in Belize has been described as off the chart.

    1. Psyx
      Pint

      Re: Has anyone stopped to consider ...

      Odd then that he lived there all that time, and only started experiencing problems after making drugs at home, shooting his dogs, owning a bunch of illegal weapons and fleeing the vicinity of a murder.

      1. El Presidente
        FAIL

        Re: Has anyone stopped to consider ...

        Do you have any evidence for your assertions? Real evidence? Not the sort of hyperbolic bath salts generated bollocks you've read on the web. No, I didn't think so.

        That's the problem with sub-daily-mail journalism, there's always an audience ready and willing to lap up at face value any old unsubstantiated rubbish as long especially if it's salacious or titillating. Bonus points if the story involves the misfortune of others. Triple points if there's someone to vilify.

        1. Ian Yates

          Re: Has anyone stopped to consider ...

          I think you can drop the "sub-" bit. All of the red tops have been known to create sensational stories on the barest of rumours; it's just the careful wording that (usual) keeps them from libel, but enough readers take it as fact to be an issue.

      2. sisk

        Re: Has anyone stopped to consider ...

        Odd then that he lived there all that time, and only started experiencing problems after making drugs at home, shooting his dogs, owning a bunch of illegal weapons and fleeing the vicinity of a murder.

        According to him the 'drugs' were actually herbal medications such as you might find in your local health food store, the dogs had been poisoned during an illegal police raid on his home and were dying a slow, painful death, and the weapons were all completely legal. As for fleeing the vicinity of the murder, if you read his version of the events leading up to that you'll find that he had very good reason to believe his own life was in danger.

        We know that the level of corruption in Belize is high. We also know, among other things, that a bag of cocaine was found in a shipment of supplies he donated to the police, which makes him either the stupidest criminal of all time or the target of a frame up. Given these facts I'm inclined to give more weight to his side of the story and more salt to the other.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Has anyone stopped to consider ...

          OK so the police themselves poisoned the dogs and then had a cup of tea whilst waiting for them to keel over? ;)

        2. Tom 13

          Re: According to him

          You can drink that kool-aid if you want to. But a thinking person asks exactly what Psyx did: If you had $100M US and discovered you were living in a thoroughly corrupt country, wouldn't you move out? I mean I get the peasants with no money are stuck in the hellhole, but this guy can buy his own island somewhere and do whatever he wants. So why live in a corrupt country for longer than it takes to get your passport, visa, and plane tickets in order?

  5. mafoo
    Facepalm

    We all know what happened

    /cough/ bribe /cough/

    No doubt he will be on a private jet to america before not to long as the Guatemalans look the other way.

    1. mafoo

      told you so

      "After his release, 67-year-old McAfee told reporters, "I'm free. I'm going to America." He said he plans to catch a flight to Miami.

      Guatemalan immigration officials have already escorted McAfee to the Guatemala City airport."

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    more than just antivirus, indeed!

    http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/2764/mcafeek.jpg

  7. nuked
    Pint

    The thot plickens

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Illegally detained?

    By his own admission he has committed several different crimes: illegal entrance into a country(Guatemala), fraud and forgery (The whole decoy thing), and interference in a police investigation (running from the scene when he knew the police where looking for him).

    And if he really is wanting to just settle down and live out the rest of his life in peace than being a political activist against government corruption in a nation run by a highly corrupt government is a pretty stupid idea.

    1. Ole Juul
      Coat

      Re: Illegally detained?

      I'm not sure if he was part of their catch and release program, of if he was just out of season.

      1. PeeKay
        Coat

        Re: Illegally detained?

        Surely you're not suggesting it was a phishing expedition?

    2. Tom 13

      Re: Illegally detained?

      Yeah that got me too. If he didn't cross the border at a check point where the Guatemalans checked his papers, he WAS in the country illegally and they have the right (and actually I'd say DUTY) to detain him. He could have cooled his heels in a nice safe jail cell until the authorities had it sorted out and his safe harbor claim was adjudicated.

  9. vic 4

    the production of herbal medications

    Ah, that explains everything. Must have missed that if it was mentioned in earlier articles.

  10. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Big Brother

    "McAfee said he was scrupulous about paying his taxes"

    I think this tax thing is fast becoming the new-age "are you or have you ever been a communist" thing, and maybe an "is your pedigree provably aryan" thing.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Strange dude

    Now he's back in the U.S. and they don't want him either.

    1. asdf
      Thumb Up

      Re: Strange dude

      Amen brother we sure as hell don't want this crazy jagoff. People might think America always protects it own but the culture is actually a pretty vengeful and harsh to criminals and we place the value of law before most everything else. I hope we ship him back to Belize on his own dime.

  12. StephenH

    I expected he'd get a free 30 day trial

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