FC: Update on egomaniacal "Kimble" hacker, detained on fraud charges

From: Declan McCullagh (declanat_private)
Date: Tue Jan 29 2002 - 13:14:13 PST

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    Our coverage:
    http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,49880,00.html
    
    ---------- Forwarded message ----------
    Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 23:24:34 -0800
    From: carey <careyat_private>
    To: Declan McCullagh <declanat_private>
    Subject: Kimble's at it again.
    
    Hello Declan,
    
      I ran into this tiny tidbit about Kim Schmitz off of another mailing list I'm on,
      and remembered that you had reported on him a few months back
      (http://www.politechbot.com/p-02701.html).  I always found it funny
      that he was looking to drop off $10 million for anyone who could
      successfully hack Bin Laden, and when I ran into this tidbit
      (http://technology.scmp.com/techinternet/ZZZJAQ60SWC.html) I laughed
      a bit harder.  Turns out Schmitz has been detained in his native
      homeland of Germany after being expelled from Thailand.  The German
      Government wants him on some hefty insider trading accusations (he
      supposedly netted $1.1 million EU from the British Company
      letsbuyit.com) While the news isn't all that exciting, it's always
      nice to hear about egomaniacals like this one getting harassed by
      the authorities, and if that isn't enough, there is always the
      response from his website. To quote:
    
               "The Real Kim Schmitz is no more
                 He is now known as
    
                 His Royal Highness King Kimble the First, Ruler of the
                 Kimpire"
    
      Here's the article, reported from South China Morning Post Online:
    
    Net closes on former super-hacker AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE in Munich   
    Internet millionaire Kim Schmitz, pictured in Hong Kong, has been detained
    by German authorities in Munich after being deported from Thailand.
    Reuters photo Internet super-hacker turned online entrepreneur Kim Schmitz
    was detained on his arrival in his German homeland on Tuesday following
    deportation from Thailand.
    
    German police, who were waiting for the eccentric young millionaire at
    Munich airport, took him into custody, the prosecutor's office said.
    
    He is wanted in Germany for insider share-dealing, among other matters.
    
    Schmitz was arrested on Friday at the five-star hotel where he was staying
    in Bangkok.
    
    Thai police said he would be expelled and barred from returning to
    Thailand after he announced on his Web site www.kimble.org that he would
    commit suicide on his birthday, which was Monday, and invited surfers to
    witness his death.
    
    The site now says that "the real Kim Schmitz is no more" and that he wants
    to be known as "His Royal Highness King Kimble the First, Ruler of the
    Kimpire".
    
    Schmitz had been evidently expecting the worst: a link on the page invites
    visitors to "click here to send a letter to Kim in prison".
    
    German investigators believe he made profits of 1.1 million euros (about
    HK$7.57 million) through illicit insider-dealing in shares of the troubled
    British online enterprise, Letsbuyit.com.
    
    Schmitz, who has been convicted of hacking offences, made a name for
    himself by claiming to have broken into the computers of the Pentagon and
    Nasa before turning to business. Recently, he claimed to have hacked a
    Somali bank and copied the accounts of Osama bin Laden.
    
    He again made headlines last year by offering a US$10 million reward for
    information leading to the arrest of bin Laden.
      
    
    -- 
    Best regards,
     carey                          mailto:careyat_private
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
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