Russian bot-herder and election-fiddling suspect closer to US trial

The 36-year-old Russian accused of herding pump-and-dump spambots will be tried in America, following a decision of a Spanish court. Peter Yuryevich Levashov was arrested in Spain in April 2017 and accused of running the Kelihos botnet. While early speculation floated the idea he was involved in election fiddling, his first …

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[Pascal Monett]

"I will die within a year"

He's a Tom Clancy fan, then ?

Seriously though, although I am ready to believe that CIA agents are perfectly capable of killing a high-profile, wanted individual of any nationality if there is a need, if he was in such danger from US spymasters he might have wanted to avoid going to a US-extradition-friendly country in the first place ?

When you play the game, you play it all the way. If you are aware that you have information that is so badly wanted by a given country, you plan your life around avoiding getting caught by that country.

The fact that he did not do so signifies that his claims are rather on the bogus side, or at least that he is not the professional spy he thinks he is.

[Elmer Phud]

Re: "I will die within a year"

got a better chance of 'disappearing' if he goes to Russia.

They can 'disappear' prominent business folk and others without any noise from over here.

[Chris G]

Re: "I will die within a year"

In the US, they mostly seem to develop suicidal tendencies, so he made a bit of a mistake suggesti g he might go that route. Now, he probably will.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: "I will die within a year"

That you claim to know they can 'disappear' people makes a mockery of the rest of your claim about 'them' being able to do it without making any noise wouldn't you say?

[Richard Wharram]

Re: "I will die within a year"

I think his bigger worry if he does have some info the CIA might like to get hold of is being served nice cup of Pollonium tea or similar. Russian efforts to quiet troublesome people aren't limited to their own shores:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/report-us-intelligence-believes-russia-assassinated-14-in-uk-10

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: "I will die within a year"

Russian efforts to quiet troublesome people aren't limited to their own shores:

In Spanish custody or not, the Ruskies would already have terminated him if that was what they wanted. My guess is that although Levashov is a bottom feeding schmuck, and most of his (reported) stuff is low level fraud, he probably has been taking payments from, or subject to control by fear from Russian intelligence, for the purposes of deniable attacks, or for distributing malware, or for information on his associates. So for preference they'd prefer not to have him plea bargaining with the MIB, and by trying to extradite him themselves, they can pretend that they are interested in stopping their citizens form doing this.

[Aodhhan]

What a wuss.

If he was really an agent of Putin, it would be the last thing he'd admit to.

He's reacting more like a scared little Russian wussy trying to get back home to his mommy; with hopes Putin will reward him for his actions.

Look, if you can't be a man and handle the consequences then don't do the crime.

I do agree he will die within a year in prison... from embarrassment and having to live with himself for displaying to the world what a crying little coward he is.