A former Boeing employee who was found dead during a court case against the aircraft manufacturer feared he could be killed, one of his friends has suggested.
John Barnett, 62, died from a ‘self-inflicted wound’ in South Carolina on Saturday, according to a state coroner.
He had recently spent two days giving evidence in his case and was due to attend a third round of hearings on the day he was found dead in his truck, which was parked at his hotel.
John’s close family friend, named only as Jennifer, told US broadcaster ABC News 4 he made a bleak prediction while discussing the lawsuit before the case was heard in court.
‘He wasn’t concerned about safety because I asked him,’ Jennifer explained.
‘I said, “Aren’t you scared?” And he said, “No, I ain’t scared, but if anything happens to me, it’s not suicide.”‘
GurtTractor wrote:Wee potential conspiracy for ya - Boeing whistleblower said ‘if I die, it wasn’t suicide’ before he was found dead
- BBCIt is too early to know who was responsible for this attack.
But it is notable that two weeks ago, the US issued an unusual warning to its citizens in Russia. It was "monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts”.
The message said US citizens should avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours.
Despite the delay, the similarity in the nature of the target suggests a link might be possible. But there was no indication of who those extremists might be.
The White House has quickly said there is no indication that Ukraine or any Ukrainians were involved in the attack, with a spokesperson saying they wanted to "disabuse" reporters of any connection.
There have been attacks in Moscow in the past – most notably a siege at a Theatre in 2002 which was linked to Chechen fighters.
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