Sean Smith, aka Vile Rat, was working at the embassy compound in Benghazi when it was overrun. Smith was the director of the Goonswarm alliance and a former Stellar Management councillor.
Alex ‘The Mittani’ Gianturco revealed the sorrowful news to the community, saying it was his good friend Sean Smith who had been killed by ”a mob of religious lunatics”.
Unrest stirred in both Libya and Egypt over a film produced by a 52-year-old Californian and an expatriate Egyptian Copt. The anti-Islamist film allegedly was made back in July but has been seized by opportunists to incite anger toward US interests given the anniversary of the September 11th attacks.
”So: Vile Rat, Sean Smith, my friend for over six years, both in real life and in internet spaceships, was the ‘State Department Official’ killed in Benghazi by a mob of religious lunatics, who had been incited to violence on this September 11th by a movie that was apparently made sometime in July,” posted Alex Gianturco on his website.
”Obviously, given the combined attacks in Egypt and in Libya, this was a coordinated act designed for maximum media exposure; rile up a mob, point them at an embassy or consulate on 9/11 in particular, aim for the press. Many were injured in these pointless, reprehensible acts, and one of my closest friends was killed as a result.”
Gianturco says Smith even sent a message out the day of his death, which he included: ”(12:54:09 PM) vile_rat: assuming we don’t die tonight. We saw one of our ‘police’ that guard the compound taking pictures.”
”We knew that Vile Rat was in Benghazi,” Gianturco continued, ”he told us. He commented on how they use guns to celebrate weddings and how there was a constant susurrus of weaponry in the background. He was in situ to provide IT services for the consulate, which meant he was on the net all the time, hanging out with us on Jabber as usual and talking about internet spaceship games.”
The US official went through similar ordeals when in Baghdad in 07 and 08, said Gianturco. ”He would be on jabber, then say something like ‘incoming’ and vanish for a while as the Kayatushas came down from Sadr City - State had been in the former Saddam Hussein palace on the Tigris before they built that $2bn fortress-embassy later.”
Gianturco and Smith knew each other personally as they would meet in the US and in Iceland for Council of Stellar Management meetings. He sent out a message to his fellow EVE gamers of the tragedy.
”My people, I have grievous news. Vile Rat has been confirmed to be KIA in Benghazi; his family has been informed and the news is likely to break out on the wire services soon. Needless to say, we are in shock, have no words, and have nothing but sympathy for his family and children. I have known Vile Rat since 2006, he was one of the oldest of old-guard goons and one of the best and most effective diplomats this game has ever seen.”
”His family are in our thoughts and prayers.”
