The Australian : Man believed to be a British spy found murdered near MI6 HQ

Man believed to be a British spy found murdered near MI6 HQ

From: AP | August 25, 2010

A MAN believed to be a British spy has been found murdered and stuffed in a bag at a flat near the headquarters of MI6.

The body was discovered on Monday afternoon at a property in Pimlico, central London. It is understood that the corpse was stuffed into a bag and left in a bathroom.

Scotland Yard launched a murder investigation into the incident, led by its Homicide and Serious Crime Command.

But it declined to comment on reports that the man, believed to be in his 30s, was an employee of the British secret services.

A spokesman said the body was yet to be formally identified.

A post-mortem examination is due to take place today.

Officers were called to a top floor apartment in Alderney Street at around 4.40pm on Monday following reports that the occupant had not been seen for some time.

After gaining entry they discovered the body, with the man pronounced dead at the scene.

Newspaper reports suggested that the dead man worked for GCHQ, the Government's intelligence information arm.

But it was suggested that he was on secondment to MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service with a headquarters just a few hundred yards from where the body was found.

Cordons were placed around the property yesterday as officers examined the contents of the flat.

Scotland Yard said it was following up "several lines of inquiry''.

If reports of the deceased man being a spy prove to be true, it will be the highest profile murder in the UK of someone linked to the secret services since that of Alexander Litvinenko.

The former KGB agent died in hospital after being poisoned by radioactive polonium-210 in 2006.