Tech Tycoon John McAfee Wore A Lace Thong As A Mask... And Got Arrested At The Airport

It should really come as no surprise that eccentric programmer, tech tycoon, and two-time Libertarian presidential hopeful John McAfee is an anti-masker, though you would think someone who's famous for creating literal antivirus software would know better.

Then again, maybe dude just likes getting in trouble in the flashiest ways possible. McAfee, who is no stranger to run-ins with the law (recall that time his home got raided in Belize or when he hid from authorities to avoid being questioned about a murder or the time his hideout was accidentally outed by Vice because a journalist posted a photo of him with the geolocation metadata still attached or when he faked two heart attacks in a Guatemalan prison to expedite his case and get sent back to the U.S.), and who currently claims to be on the run from the IRS, was detained on Monday at an airport in Norway, according to his tweets, and was later arrested when trying to return to Germany for refusing to wear a medically-certified mask. 

But that's not to say he wasn't wearing any sort of face covering - indeed, he opted to cover his nose and mouth with a black lace thong after landing on his private jet. And while he did manage to make authorities laugh, the gag wasn't amusing enough for them to let him through. Per his live tweets of the debacle, and his wife's subsequent takeover of his Twitter account after he was arrested, the 74-year-old insisted that the thong "is the safest [mask] available" and was refusing to wear anything else for his "health's sake." 

His wife, who herself shares plenty of anti-mask conspiracy theories on social media, continued via his account "[The thong] doesn't recycle his exhaled carbon dioxide, like over the ear masks. (Breathing impaired people are exempt from wearing masks because masks impair respiration). Masks stop bacteria. Not viruses people! He was arrested for what he believes."

She also added that McAfee had managed to send her champagne while in detention before she eventually took the private jet back "home."

As of Monday night it seems that he's still being held. Perhaps he can hire Sisqo as his defense attorney?

Update: On Tuesday, McAfee clarified the events on Twitter and has shared that he is "back in Belarus," now sporting a black eye.

I was jailed:
Why?
Visited Catalonia just before Europe banned Catalonians from travelling.

Tried to return to Germany and were refused entrance. They demanded we wear masks.

I put on my thong mask.

They demanded I replace it. I refused.

Tussle. Jail. Black eye. Released. pic.twitter.com/B8SW2VBzSm
— John McAfee (@officialmcafee) August 11, 2020