U.S. Diplomat Crashed Into Kazakh Presidential Convoy

The US embassy attaché in Kazakhstan, Lee Henry Richard, crashed into a presidential convoy on Sunday. He almost hit the Kazakh President Nazarbayev's limousine. After the crash he tried to escape and the only reason the bodyguards didn't shoot at him was the car's diplomatic license plates. Kazakh secret services (KNB) are now investigating the case together with the Foreign Ministry.

Axis News: HOT NEWS: Kazakh secret services investigate US diplomat crashing into presidential convoy

25.04.2006


Kazakh secret services investigate US diplomat's jeep crashing into presidential convoy and almost hitting Nazarbayev's car, local media reported. On Sunday Lee Henry Richard, US embassy's attaché, who was driving his jeep, suddenly entered the convoy of the Kazakh President and almost rammed the presidential limousine. He tried to escape but was detained by the local secret services. His car was not shot upon by the presidential bodyguards only because of the diplomatic car plates.

This story is strange enough by itself, but imagine if he had killed the Kazakh President... It would almost put Lee Henry Richard in the same club as Lee Harvey Osvald. I wonder what comes out of this...

Country profile: Kazakhstan (BBC)

I'm surprised he wasn't shot upon anyway. The car could have been stolen, for all they would have known. Probably would have been a good time to shoot and ask later, in my opinion.

And why would he try to escape? I smell a good conspiracy in the works here!

Here's a couple of more sources. It seems like he was following the presidential cortege while ignoring demands from police officers to pull over to the side of the road. Then it appeared like he was attempting to crash into the President on purpose ("turned sharply in towards it"). What on Earth was he doing?


Mosnews: U.S. Embassy Car Narrowly Misses Kazakh President’s Limo

Hey this is the Bush Era, this is how we do diplomacy these days.

He was just trying to show John Bolton he wasn't a wimp

This is quite possibly one of the strangest stories I have heard.

I cannot wait to hear the official explantion.

This is one that even a cheesy spy novel couldn't of made up and passed as plausible.... what the hell was he thinking, and why the hell did he drive away...and the body guards didn't shoot because of his plates?? It could of been stolen or an insider suicide bomb attack or any number of threats that would warrant opening up for!...

I'm with the above opinion, I just cannot wait to hear the official explanation for this one!!

EDIT: Oops...sorry. I tried to add to my post and accidently hit the wrong button...and I forgot what it originally said.

[edit on 27/4/2006 by SportyMB]

Sorry to hi-jack your thread Hellmutt

A little off, but on the same topic.

NYTimes - 2004
A United States marine suspected of causing a car crash that killed a Romanian rock star in Bucharest could face a court-martial, the American ambassador said. The Marine, a guard at the American Embassy, was whisked out of the country soon after the incident on Saturday, prompting outrage and an appeal by Prime Minister Adrian Nastase to President Bush to help bring the Marine back to stand trial. Jack Dyer Crouch, the ambassador, said that the White House was studying the request and that the soldier faced court-martial if evidence against him was clear. The Romanian police say the marine, apparently intoxicated, crashed an embassy vehicle into a taxi, killing the passenger, Teo Peter, 50, a bass guitarist with the popular Romanian band Compact.

english.people.com.cn...

The Marine is currently serving as a barracks and grounds keeper at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. He served no jail time....just a slap on he wrist. They should have really hammered this guy, imo.




[edit on 26/4/2006 by SportyMB]

I think that Lee Henry Richard had a bet with someone that went something like this:


LHR: Man, is the United States hated around the world right now or what?!?!

Person #2: Yeah I don't think it would even be possible for us to be hated more right now!

LHR: Hmm... wanna bet???

And thus began another embarrassing American political moment, as US Embassy attache, Lee Henry Richard, attempted the first ever assassination of a foreign leader by "ramming."

Or maybe Lee Henry Richards was just a patsy. The real assassins missed the bus... or something...



There are three names and 15 letters in:
Lee Henry Richards, Lee Harvey Osvald and John Wilkes Booth

Just for carification.....his name is Richard Henry Lee, not Lee Henry Richard

Nothing big....

Sporty

Thanks Sporty

I would never have found out based on the three articles from Axis, Pravda and Mosnews since they all say "Lee Henry Richard". Maybe they did it on purpose to make it sound more like Lee Harvey Osvald? Btw, the name "Lee Harvey Osvald" can also be turned around ("Osvald Harvey Lee") - All the names are potentional first names...

...... " It seems like he was following the presidential cortege while ignoring demands from police officers to pull over to the side of the road. Then it appeared like he was attempting to crash into the President on purpose ("turned sharply in towards it"). What on Earth was he doing? "

Sounds as if he was ' attempting to crash into the President on purpose'.

He will probably be officially 'terminated' quite soon. Espionage agents know when they take these jobs that they're on their own and will be denied and denigrated by the governments to whom they pledge loyalty, if anything goes wrong.

He failed in his 'mission'.

But, from the surviving President's perspective, what a bonus it's been !!!

He has been royally tipped off that 'they' want him out of the way !

If anything happens to that President after this --- the entire world will know precisely WHERE to point the finger of accusation. Laugh

Originally posted by Dock6
He will probably be officially 'terminated' quite soon. Espionage agents know when they take these jobs that they're on their own and will be denied and denigrated by the governments to whom they pledge loyalty, if anything goes wrong.

He's not an agent, not a spook and not an assassin. He's a US military officer assigned to the Defense Attache Office at the US Embassy in Almaty.

Most Embassies have Defense Attache Offices....it's nothing more than a liason between the US military and the host nation's military. The few US military folks that are assigned to US embassies are diplomats and their registered with the host nation....so I doubt there's a chance of the US pulling the "He's not mine" card.

Sounds as if he was ' attempting to crash into the President on purpose'.

Hopefully there will be some updates on this soon.

[edit on 27/4/2006 by SportyMB]

Originally posted by SportyMB
He's not an agent, not a spook and not an assassin. He's a US military officer assigned to the Defense Attache Office at the US Embassy in Almaty.

What if that's just his cover?

w0w...

very wierd indeed...

it would bring about a huge mess if this did kill the president of kazakh...

From what I understand, the advisor to the military attache simply sat in the car the entire time. He wasn't doing the driving. The Pravda article states that the driver is being held. I'm assuming then that the driver wasn't a US employee, but was locally hired, otherwise he would likely have been released soon after. That he (the driver) exited the car and began to run is also odd and again suggests he wasn't entitled to diplomatic immunity himself (although he could have just been disoriented and/or scared). The advisor did probably what anyone would do in his situation, which is remain in the car, as it adds another level of both diplomatic and physical protection. Could add another dimension to the story, if it wasn't technically a US diplomat who crashed into the convoy, but a Kazakh who happened to have a US diplomat as a passenger.

[edit on 27-4-2006 by koji_K]

Originally posted by koji_K

He wasn't doing the driving.

Nope, he was the driver...

Pravda: US Diplomat almost runs into Kazakh President

The driver of the jeep turned out to be an advisor to the military attaché of the US Embassy in Kazakhstan, Lee Henry Richard

But now we know that his name is actually Richard Henry Lee

edit: wait a minute... Now I'm not sure myself who was doing the driving...

[edit on 2006/4/27 by Hellmutt]

C'mon... 15 letters, three first names whichever way you cut it - the guy's a Manchurian candidate! Spoooookyyyy!

Or perhaps he tired of Khazakhstan's poor human rights record and decided to make a stand?

'Bout as likely, innit?

You are correct, I was confused... but here's why:

The article says at the beginning:

The Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev’s limousine was almost run into by a jeep driven by an employee of the US Embassy in Kazakhstan, who then tried to flee the scene of the incident.

But then, at the end, it says

The driver of the jeep turned out to be an advisor to the military attaché of the US Embassy in Kazakhstan, Lee Henry Richard, who to begin with did not want to get out of the car.

I know in the second sentence it clearly identifies the driver, and I'm an idiot for not noticing, but in the first paragraph it makes him sound like someone completely different from in the second... "he tried to flee" versus "to begin with did not want to get out of the car."

What's up with that? When faced with the Presidential motorcade and all the security that entails, you sit in your car not wanting to leave, and then... try to flee? It makes him sound either very confused or like he's five years old...

EDIT: unless he was still in the car when trying to flee... that would make a little more sense I guess... I'm having trouble picturing the scene because I don't know when he was on foot or in the car...

[edit on 27-4-2006 by koji_K]