Journalist Michael Hastings Killed In Fiery Crash - Former Green Beret Says "Looks Like A Small Bomb Got Him" - Drone Strike?

And the plot thickens...


"Michael Hastings, the award-winning freelance reporter who died on Tuesday at 33, was known for an intrepid, gonzo-style journalism that took him to war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq and, most famously, brought down a United States Army general."



[link to www.nytimes.com]

“Michael Hastings was really only interested in writing stories someone didn’t want him to write..."

[link to www.nytimes.com]

Aha....


"In 2010, Mr. Hastings won a George Polk Award, presented annually by Long Island University for reporting in the public interest.

The award honored his Rolling Stone magazine cover story, “The Runaway General,” published that June. In it, Mr. Hastings profiled Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, then the top commander of United States forces in Afghanistan.

The article quoted the general and members of his staff making disparaging comments about members of the Obama administration, including Vice President Joseph R. Biden, with respect to their handling of the Afghan campaign.

Within days of its publication, President Obama met briefly with General McChrystal in the Oval Office before firing him, ending his 34-year military career."


[link to www.nytimes.com]

So...he takes out a general who was esteemed enough to be the commander of the entire war in Afghanistan...gets him fired after 34 years of service. Now...a few years later...he's under investigation by the FBI and then dies in a fiery crash that looks like a bomb blast according to experts. By the way...Michael Yon is so experienced in explosives as a former Green Beret that he's actually being interviewed for his knowledge on the subject and is writing books about it as well.

thanks for posting this.

WikiLeaks (@wikileaks)
6/19/13, 6:07 PM
Michael Hastings contacted WikiLeaks lawyer Jennifer Robinson just a few hours before he died, saying that the FBI was investigating him.

So...it's quite possible this guy knew something that the government did NOT want to be public knowledge and they blew him up to silence him and keep their story hidden.

He was also looking into the actions of the CIA [link to blogs.laweekly.com]

who died on Tuesday at 33

There's that old 33 again.

Just not good.

[link to ktla.com] The video says he was going to fast that the engine was launched from the car and found 100 feet down the road. The guy was hauling some ass...maybe he was being chased? How long until we hear that someone saw his car being followed and maybe even hear that gunshots were heard or that bullet holes were found in his car?

His body was so degraded that dental records will have to be used to identify him positively. Sounds like someone made sure all evidence would be destroyed.

Odd anyone who has brought significant news against the regime is ending up dead or in prison. USSA here we come.

I looked at the video of the crash scene...

I see NOTHING to indicate an explosion, no outward deformed panels behind the crash damaged portions.

Granted a witness a (one that heard the crash) said it sounded like a bomb going off but if you've ever heard hard crash into a tree, that's pretty much what it sounds like.

From seeing the crash scene I see a slightly off center hit on a tree at 60 mph or more. Which is why the engine came out.

Now that damage would have severed fuel lines and possibly caused shorts and sparks in the electrical system which would have started the fire.

Most street type automobiles will burn intensely if given a good start.

So no bomb...
as far as conspiracy goes if there was foul play I would look more towards another car running them into the tree. Any evidence of which would have been destroyed by the fire.

Last Edited by G. House on 06/19/2013 07:15 PM

Okay, we need some schematics and vehicle make and model of this car he was driving. Look at 1 min 15 seconds in the video. Tell me this doesn't look like bullet holes in his door. Brand new car here people...

There is one hole midway in the door, just below where the driver's side window would roll down. There is another at the end of where the door handle used to be. There is 3-4 more at the back of the area where the handle would be. There is 2-3 just behind the door jam about midway down. You can see the fire dancing behind the holes so we knows these were through and through shots. The fire is hot enough to burn upholstery but not melt the actual steel frame of the doors. So...these holes, had they been manufactured, seemingly would only be on one side of the frame of the car, not through and through. I believe those ARE bullet holes.


[link to ktla.com]

Has all the hallmarks of the Haider "accident"

I have to ask two questions...number one, what would you look at mechanically in this to determine whether this was a bomb or not? After all, this car is fully engulfed. Number two, what kind of bomb are you expecting here?

hit the road shill

you sound like an expert. can you estimate how fast this brand new mercedes was traveling for the engine block and attached transmission to fly out of the vehicle and land 50 yards away/

how much does an engine weigh/ how about tranny/

and, could you also cite just one case where this has ever happened in history...where the engine and tranny fly out of a car/

thanks.

Couple more things...no skid marks leading up the tree on the road. In the video at around the 38 second mark there is a VERY clear picture of the curb, grass and road way where the accident happened. Not a single skid mark, not a single divot in the grass...apparently not a single shred of evidence that this guy braked before hitting this tree. Also...it is apparent that ALL the glass was broken out of the car, nothing can be seen that looks like glass still remaining in the car. I know that could be the result of the fire melting it but an explosion would knock a lot of glass out as well. Lastly...look at the flames. They are extremely robust. This video of the fire department on scene is still raging out of control. Mercedes, like most high end cars, have shut off valves and protective measures to keep the gas tank from erupting or leaking when the vehicle is involved in a crash like this. The impact was at the front end so there is no real reason to suspect the tank, located at the rear of the vehicle, could have been damaged during the crash.

[link to ktla.com]

And completely off-topic (I hope) - Tony Soprano is dead.

Wonder if "Don't stop believing" was playing in the background...

[link to fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net (secure)]

Wikileaks is reporting this guy contacted their lawyer a few hours before he died

This video is a full length 5 minute video with far more coverage than the news footage.

The Hispanic witness in this video seems a bit hard to understand but he's saying something like 100 or 120 mph is how fast Hastings was traveling before he hit the tree. I can't say the guy knows what he's saying or that what he is saying accurate. BUT...it coincides with this massive devastation. He also states that the car jumped the curb before it hit the tree. This is strange...no skid marks on the street or grass...which means he probably never had the brake.

[link to gawker.com]

lol at the shill pretending to offer "friendly advice"

Obviously he was driving a vehicle with a 500 gallon gas tank.

Like I posted above, the body panels not deformed in the crash, like the door skins, do not show and sign of being bulged outward by an internal overpressure.

The video I saw showed some short views of the vehicle sitting there in daylight after the fire. It was posted in another thread.

What kind of bomb? What? You think it was a small bomb?

If you are going to bomb a car you usually have it go off shortly after the car is started. It also has to be pretty good sized to be sure you kill the target.

Reading another story on this seems there was a witness that saw the car fishtail and then hit the tree. No mention of other vehicles, no mention of a bomb going off.

If there was any foul play it would have involved drugging the target. But before you go there you would have to check and see if this guy was a hard drinker or had DUI's.

Very interesting. This video pro-ports to show that Hastings car ran the red light and was caught on a police car dash cam. This car was moving at an extremely fast pace. The 100mph+ claim by the Hispanic in an earlier video I posted seems about right. This car was flat hauling ass and definitely ran a red light. What I don't get is why the police car doesn't move until quite some time after the car races by. The narrator states the police car didn't leave the parking lot where the red light violation was recorded, for some 2 minutes. Why would a police officer wait to pursue a suspect vehicle that was committing such a flagrant and dangerous violation? I know why. The vehicle was being pursued by someone else. The police knew the situation was being controlled by someone else...maybe by the FEDs? The cop knew not to pursue until he heard on the radio that there had been a collision. Btw, 2.5 minutes away and several miles away...the car had traveled a considerable distance. The cop did not follow the path the speeding car took either. He did not follow the path that Hastings took. You can verify that by seeing that the cop did not turn the correct direction in front of the Walgreens when he went to check on the T/C.

[link to www.youtube.com]

This. If I recall correctly, he uncovered some "politically correct" crap that any good general would do to protect his men and accomplish the mission.

Righteous indignation remained.

If I am wrong, please tell me what Hastings wrote that was of value.

The retirement of McChrystal helped improve the regime?

Actually, according to the troops serving under McChrystal, it was a big shock to see him go down for what he went down for. McChrystal was seen as a joke of a commander. The whole incident was actually for the furthering of the troops and bettering of the entire situation. It was basically the only evidence that Obama would HAVE to act on...a public decry of mistrust in the commander and chief. Most everybody I knew who served under McChrystal's command was happy to see him go. He was the infamous "No round in the tube" general. He was asking U.S. soldiers to go on patrols through Afghanistan without having a round in the chamber so as to not accidentally shoot a citizen or engage to quickly.