Artist says he will destroy $45 million worth of Rembrandt, Picasso and Warhol masterpieces with acid if Julian Assange dies in prison
CBSN
An artist in the south of France is planning to destroy up to $45 million worth of art, including pieces by Rembrandt, Picasso, and Andy Warhol, if Wikileaks founder Julien Assange dies in prison, British broadcaster Sky News reports.
Andrei Molodkin says he has put masterpieces that have been donated to him in a 29-ton safe hooked up to two barrels - one containing an acid powder and the other containing an accelerator - which, when pumped into the safe, will create a reaction strong enough to destroy all its contents, Sky News says.
The project is called "Dead Man's Switch," and it is backed by Julien Assange's wife, Stella. Assange is currently in jail in the U.K. awaiting his final appeal over extradition to the United States to face charges under the Espionage Act, which will take place later this month. Wikileaks published thousands of leaked documents relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Assange is alleged to have conspired to obtain and disclose U.S. national defense information.
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