Army Rangers knock over a bank

[Jason McCullough]

This is really strange (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003463807_ranger06m.html).

Luke Sommer, the former Army Ranger accused of masterminding the takeover robbery of a Tacoma bank in August, stops just short of admitting to the crime. But he says that if he did rob the bank, his motives were political. "One of the things that the Canadian Extradition Act says is that I cannot be extradited if the reason or the motive for a crime is political," Sommer said. "I'm untouchable, as long as I can prove in court that the reasons that I had were political. And I can. Trust me."
He hopes to use the notoriety from the heist as a platform to expose war crimes by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan, Sommer said during a series of interviews at his mother's home here, where he is under house arrest.

He basically admits he did it, but says it was to expose US war crimes?!?!

[JeffL]

I smell a Law and Order episode coming up in the next few months!

[unbongwah]

As social protests go, knocking over a bank is an odd one.

[Case]

As social protests go, knocking over a bank is an odd one.

Well, there was Patty Hearst...

[Lum]

Revolutionaries have a long and storied history of liberating funds from banks.

[Flowers]

Five points if you were going to post your "better idea" regarding avoiding extradition by criminal trick or legal loophole but refrained because you decided to, "keep that idea for myself."

[Steve Canyon]

This is like Kelly's Heros, but without Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, Don Rickles and the whole World War 2 thing. And probalby no tanks.

[JeffL]

Heh, this is a guy who got caught and is looking for an angle.

[Unicorn McGriddle]

Revolutionaries have a long and storied history of liberating funds from banks.

I knew it would fall to either you or me to point this out. On the other hand, the guy doesn't sound like a Menshevik. He didn't tell the other robbers about his top secret political motives that will make everything okay? Knowing about a loophole that you believe will make you invulnerable to prosecution is a pretty straightforward reason to commit a crime for the regular purpose: the acquisition of money. This "expose war crimes" stuff seems tacked on, probably after he realized that his defense trick wasn't going to work. Which it won't, because the prosecution can just bring Colonel Klink in to testify that no, it wasn't justified, and he should know because he's in the army, and by the way war crimes don't exist.

Oops, I forgot to use my football metaphor. Here it is: Hail Mary pass. And don't tell Matt Keil I've been into the metaphors again.

[Pogue Mahone]

This is the cover story for last week's Seattle Weekly (http://www.seattleweekly.com) (not available yet online, probably will be in the near future though) - but from my reading it sounds like Jeff has the right of it. They were caught because they used their own car, and security cameras got the license plate. Plus, the excuse he uses isn't that he planned to use the money for revolutionary purposes, but rather to get himself caught so that he could use the ensuing media storm to talk about various war crimes. Why he thought this was the best way to do so is an unanswered question.

Note - I should add that while the article isn't available online yet, you can view the actual print article online, requires a free plugin.

[Steve Canyon]

Oops, I forgot to use my football metaphor. Here it is: Hail Mary pass. And don't tell Matt Keil I've been into the metaphors again.

Dude, this is clearly an end run around justice.

[Matt Perkins]

Five points if you were going to post your "better idea" regarding avoiding extradition by criminal trick or legal loophole but refrained because you decided to, "keep that idea for myself."
I'll proudly claim my 5 points.

[RSofaer]

For a second I thought he was protesting the loophole in the extradition act.

[VegasRobb]

15 years ago I remember my Sergeant telling me about Rangers robbing banks. When I saw the subject, I figured it was someone asking a question about if it was true or not.

[John Sansker]

I smell a Law and Order episode coming up in the next few months!
Actually Law and Order: SVU did an episode where a serial killer fled to Canada to avoid the death penalty.
After getting across the border he shoplifted some minor item so he'd get arrested in Canada and couldn't be extradited back to the US.
Seems that the Canadians won't extradite if the person is facing the death penalty when they get back to the US.

[Johan O]

Seems that the Canadians won't extradite if the person is facing the death penalty when they get back to the US.
In theory at least, that goes for most of western Europe as well. It is illegal to extradite someone to the possibility of the death penalty in the greater part of the EU.