alert, inform, notify, announce ..... that's what HN does.
How about refocusing your attention on the actual matter at hand.
That is, Linus calling out Kees for being actively malicous.
Personally, I would have contacted Konstantin privately to lock (at least temporarily) Kees account. Then I would have sought an explanation from Kees (on the mailing list), and waited for his response. And I would have done this before calling him out as being guilty of active maliciousness.
Of course Linus love drama (especially drama that he creates.).
Linus was not jusy yelling - (i.e.): "You seem to have actively maliciously modified your tree completely." - Linus Torvalds.
Linus didn't even use the word 'potentially' - yet the HN title did.
So get off the back of the person who created the HN alert!