Mystery shrouds UK spy’s death

2010-08-26 14:03

London - Further tests were being carried out Thursday on the body of a British spy whose remains were found in a bag in the bathtub of his London flat.

Police discovered the remains of Gareth Williams, 30, on Monday in the top-floor flat of an upmarket building within walking distance of the headquarters of the foreign intelligence agency MI6 on the River Thames.

His decomposing remains were found stuffed in a holdall in the bath of the flat in Pimlico. Police believe he may have been killed at least two weeks ago.

A first post-mortem examination on Wednesday failed to establish a cause of death.

No signs of forced entry

Despite speculation he may have been targeted because of his job, police have said the investigation was focusing on the cycling enthusiast's personal life.

Detectives suspect Williams might have known his killer as there was no sign of forced entry at the flat.

Williams was days from completing a one-year secondment to the headquarters of MI6 from his job at Britain's communication monitoring centre GCHQ in Cheltenham, western England.

Police have trawled through his cellphone and financial records as well as CCTV footage from streets and businesses near his home.

His home has been searched extremely carefully amid fears that top-secret material could have gone missing.

Private person

His family have described him as an intensely private man who never talked about his work.

His cousin, William Hughes, said: "The last time I saw Gareth was just a few months ago at a family party and he was fine.

"He was always a quiet person, he was from a young age, but this is a close family and we all see each other quite regularly at family occasions."

The cousin said he never knew Williams to bring home a partner, describing him as a "very, very private person".

Williams started a postgraduate mathematics qualification at Cambridge University in 2000 but dropped out a year later to join the intelligence service.
 

- SAPA