IOL News (Zambia) : Body of MI6 worker found in Pimlico

Body of MI6 worker found in Pimlico

Reuters | August 26, 2010

London - More tests will be carried out on Thursday on the body of a man who worked for Britain's Secret Intelligence Service MI6 found at a flat near the agency's headquarters.

The body of Gareth Williams, 30, was discovered by officers on Monday afternoon in the top floor flat in the upmarket Pimlico area of London.

Police were alerted as Williams had not been seen for some time and he had been reported missing.

Newspapers reported that his remains had been found in a sports bag in the bath of his home.

An initial post mortem to determine the cause of death proved inconclusive but it is being treated as suspicious. Further tests will now be carried out.

Williams was working for MI6, which deals with foreign espionage matters, on secondment from the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the eavesdropping service.

"It's a long-standing policy of the government not to confirm or deny any individual working for the intelligence agencies," said a spokesperson for the Foreign Office.

The investigation into the death is being carried out by the Homicide and Serious Crime Command, indicating that detectives do not believe the death to be related to terrorism or espionage matters.

"It was a terrible shock. I couldn't believe that such a thing had happened," Williams's uncle William Hughes told BBC TV.

"He had worked for GCHQ for many years. I knew he was working in London doing something but he would never talk about his work, and the family knew not to ask."