Channel 4 : Did MI6 spy Gareth Williams commit suicide?

Did MI6 spy Gareth Williams commit suicide?

By Jonathan Rugman | September 14, 2010

One of the greatest mysteries of recent weeks has been the unexplained death of an MI6 employee found in a padlocked and zipped up bag in the bath of his flat. Channel 4 News' Jonathan Rugman analyses the possibility of suicide.
Gareth Williams, one of the last pictures taken of the MI6 spy, who was found dead padlocked into a sports bag (Image: Reuters)

The circumstances of his passing are so bizarre that no conspiracy theory can be ruled out - and nor will anything be ruled out until the police investgation is complete - but one theory currently in play is suicide.

This may sound extraordinary, but when you look at what we know, suicide may be no more extraordinary than any other aspect of this remarkable spy-novel case, which the police are still not confident enough to call murder.

Gareth Williams was found dead by police in Pimlico on August 23rd. The door of his flat was double-locked and a forensic sweep of his Alderney Street flat has not, as far as we know, revealed signs of forced entry.

Police toxicologists have concluded that drugs or alcohol did not contribute to his death, though more toxicology tests may be required. Police have appealed for information about a "Mediterranean couple" - a phrase which surely should be consigned to the novels of Agatha Christie or Eric Ambler - who apparently visited the flat a few weeks before.

But this may just be due diligence on the part of an investigative team duty bound to keep an open mind. From the very beginning, there has been no suggestion from the corridors of Whitehall that a national security breach has occurred.

Conspiracy theorists will argue that this is a cover up by the Secret Intelligence Service or SIS, but for now I don't buy that.

First off, we know that Mr Williams travelled to the US listening centre in Maryland where he also worked, but he did not have any dealings - that we know of - with governments or foreign intellligence agencies potentially hostile to Britain.

Nor is there any reason to think that the Talibans or Al Qaeda, in their many franchises, knew who he was. And if terrorists killed him, surely they would have told us by now?

There is no evidence - again, that we know of - that anything like a laptop or mobile phone was taken from Williams' flat. In fact, we know that his phone SIM cards were neatly laid out on a table.

At first this was interpreted as a sign of a ritualistic killing, but with hindsight it may have been just the punctiliousness of a very private man - ideal for his job, I would have thought. Mr Williams was on secondment to MI6 from GCHQ in Cheltenham and was due to return to Gloucestershire imminently.

This fact - that he was going back to his former place of employment - is the only potential "trigger moment" we have which could provide a clue to the puzzle of his death. In the week the police found the body, I reported for Channel 4 News the theory that the code expert's "sexual preferences" may have had something to do with his death.

Two days later, The Sunday Times reported that it had spoken to two witnesses who had seen Mr Williams on the gay scene in South London.

All this apparently appalled the dead man's family in Wales - only beginning to come to terms with his tragic death - and both they and the police let it be known that this was not a useful line of enquiry. One outraged family member suggested that this could be an orchestrated "dirty tricks" campaign by British Intelligence. What would be the merits of MI6 falsely describing its employee as gay?

MI6 employs gay people, and like every other branch of the civil service it cannot discriminate against them. What it may not be able to tolerate is the security risk of an employee being a closet gay - leading a double life on top of their double life as a spy - in case this leaves an employee open to blackmail.

A "dirty tricks" campaign unfairly suggesting that Williams was a closet homosexual in fact does the reputations of GCHQ and MI6 few favours, because it makes it obvious that their supposedly rigorous vetting procedures failed. In other words, it is an "own goal" for SIS. So why suggest it if it wasn't true?

To disguise the fact that the Russians or the Iranians or Mafia hit men killed him, when they could have killed him in myriad and far less bizarre ways if they had wanted to, assuming they had even known who he was? Which brings us back to the body in the bag.

A padlocked bag in a flat which was double-locked with no sign of forced entry that we know of. Could the bag have been padlocked from the inside?

It has been reported that it could. Which leads us to the theory - and that is all this is - that an act of "erotic self-asphyxiation" or sex game caused Gareth Williams' death, either by accident or on purpose.

And if it was on purpose and involved no one else, what was the trigger? Perhaps it was his imminent departure from the bright lights of London and his return to his old life in Cheltenham.

I repeat that this is just a theory based on the little that we know; but Gareth Williams lived in a world of secrets, and perhaps the secret of his private life was, for him, one secret too many.

Channel 4 : New police appeal over MI6 code-breaker's death

New police appeal over MI6 code-breaker's death

By Channel 4 News | September 6, 2010

Detectives investigating the death of the MI6 code breaker Gareth Williams, whose decomposing body was found in a bath, have released new CCTV images and appealed for help to trace two people seen near his London home.

The video and stills photographs show Mr Williams, who was working for the MI6 secret intelligence service, shopping in central London in August.

The Metropolitan Police said they needed the public's help to identify a man and a woman, both of Mediterranean appearance and aged between 20 and 30, who were let into the communal entrance of Mr Willams' flat in Pimlico, central London, late one evening in June or July.

Detectives said they had not found drugs or drugs paraphernalia at the flat and nothing appeared to be missing. Mr Williams had returned to Britain from a holiday in the US on 11 August. The police have established from the CCTV images that he went shopping on a number of occasions in the West End and Knightsbridge.

On 15 August, he visited Harrods dressed in a red T-shirt, beige trousers and white trainers.

Mr Williams' naked body was discovered padlocked in a North Face holdall bag in the bath of his flat on 23 August. There was no sign of any forced entry or disturbance.

A post mortem examination held on 25 August failed to establish any obvious cause of death. Extensive forensic tests at the flat and from the samples taken at the post mortem continue.

The Metropolitan police said they wanted to talk to anyone who had been in contact with 30-year-old Mr Williams between 11 and 23 August.

In a statement shortly after his body was found, Mr Williams' family dismissed rumours suggesting the GCHQ codes expert was involved in risky sexual practices, saying they had been "very distressing".

Channel 4 : MI6 spy found dead 'padlocked' into sports bag

MI6 spy found dead 'padlocked' into sports bag

September 1, 2010

The body of MI6 codebreaker Gareth Williams was found padlocked into a sports bag, police reveal, as the inquest is delayed amid questions over the cause of his death - which Channel 4 News understands was a "neat job".

British spy Gareth Williams was found padlocked into a sports bag, police revealed, as the inquest is delayed with the cause of death still unknown.

The inquest into the British spy's death has been delayed as police work to establish the cause of Mr Williams' death.

He was last seen alive eight days before his corpse was discovered on 23 August, when the police stopped by his flat for a "welfare check" on him after a GCHQ colleague sounded the alarm when he was not seen at work.

Police broke into the top floor flat in Alderney Street, Pimlico, central London, to find Mr Williams' body "padlocked shut" in a sports bag in a bath.

Westminster Coroner's Court heard that the corpse appeared to be in an "advanced state of decay".

A post mortem examination carried out on 25 August failed to establish a cause of death and investigations are continuing, the court heard.

The inquest was adjourned to 8 September.

Coroner Dr Paul Knapman will be kept informed of how the investigation is progressing and consider when to release the body so a funeral can take place, the court spokeswoman said.

On Friday, Mr Williams' family broke their silence to say they have found speculation over whether his sex life could be linked to his death "very distressing". There were no members of his family in court today.

The investigation is being led by the Met's Homicide Command with the security-vetted Counter Terror Command (SO15) also playing a lesser role in proceedings.

Officers are still trying to determine if he was asphyxiated, poisoned or if drugs or alcohol were present in his system.

A pathologist found Mr Williams was not stabbed or shot and there were no obvious signs of strangulation.

Mr Williams was days from completing a one-year secondment to the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, in Vauxhall, London.

Channel 4 : Exclusive: 'neat job' on MI6 spy's death

Exclusive: 'neat job' on MI6 spy's death

By Channel 4 News | August 28, 2010

Channel 4 News learns the police who found the body of MI6 codebreaker Gareth Williams described his death as a "neat job" - understood to be code for a professional killing.

The evidence obtained by Channel 4 News from the day the MI6 employee was found dead in his central London flat suggests that reports that he was secretly gay or owed bondage equipment are untrue.

The evidence also suggests his mobile phone sim cards were not arranged in a "ritualistic" way and there were no numbers for male escort agencies on them.

This, Channel 4 News understands, is what the police know about the death of the MI6 code breaker, contrary to the speculation which has been in other reports which is apparently based on MI6 briefings.

Channel 4 News reporter James Blake said none of the sexual links or mobile phone details were mentioned in the official police despatch for that day, the CAD.

He also said: "Officers did not touch the body so they were not sure, but one said the apparent murder was a 'neat job', a phrase used by police for a professional killing."

After the police left, the building was locked down and MI5 and MI6 officials rushed to the scene.

The family of code breaker Gareth Williams broke their silence to say they have found speculation over whether his sex life could be linked to his death "very distressing".

Police are still working to establish the cause of Mr Williams' death. They confirmed that he was last seen eight days before his corpse was discovered stuffed into a bag in his flat. His body was discovered on Monday after the police went to do a "welfare check" on him, after a GCHQ colleague sounded the alarm when he was not seen at work.

MI6 and GCHQ inquire into vetting of dead spy

Channel 4 News understands that the government's most secretive intelligence agencies have launched internal enquiries into the vetting of an MI6 employee found dead in his flat.

"There is nothing to suggest a security leak," a source told Channel 4 News. "This is most likely the human tragedy of a private young man who may have had issues."

GCHQ conducts what it called "rigorous security clearance" for potential employees to ascertain whether there is the "the risk of an individual being placed in a potentially compromising position."

The CIA has also been investigating any possible security breach, but British authorities believed that Mr Williams' killer probably did not know about his work.

In a statement, Mr Williams' family said: "Gareth was a generous, loving son, brother, and friend, and he was a very private person.

"He was a great athlete, and loved cycling and music. His loss has devastated us and we would ask that anyone with information to come forward and assist the police enquiry.

"The continued speculation in the press about his private life has been very distressing."

Channel 4 News reporter James Blake said that the evidence he has obtained suggest that the reports are untrue.

When the police entered the flat, he said: "There was no mess, no evidence of a struggle, and, importantly, no overwhelming smell of a body decomposing. When they entered the bathroom, officers described finding a suitcase with red liquid seeping out."

Police confirmed that Mr Williams was last seen alive on 15 August, although they would not discuss whether he was seen on CCTV or via another source.

The investigation is being led by the Met's Homicide Command, with the security-vetted Counter Terror Command also involved.

No national security risk

At this stage, all parties are suggesting that Mr Williams' killer is unlikely to have been aware of his job and his death presents no threat to national security.

Channel 4 News has learned that both MI6 and GCHQ have launched internal inquiries into the vetting of Mr Williams.

Mr Williams was a GCHQ employee on secondment to MI6.

"There is nothing to suggest a security leak," a source told Channel 4 News. "This is most likely the human tragedy of a private young man who may have had issues."

Relative William Hughes, 62, a councillor on Anglesey, insisted there was no evidence the allegations over Mr Williams' private life are correct.

Mr Hughes, a cousin of Mr Williams' mother, Ellen, said: "I have spoken to Gareth's parents and they are not doing well at all.

"They are in a state of shock and struggling to come to terms with what has happened.

"They have seen what has been in the papers and they are very, very upset about these untruths. I don't see any evidence of it.

"It never crossed my mind that Gareth was that sort of person. He left home at a young age and what happened in his private life was his business.

"When you have these rumours in the papers, it is most distressing.

"It is heartbreaking that he has died so young and his family have enough on their plate without having to read these stories."

Mr Hughes said it was possible the government, or another agency, might be attempting to discredit Mr Williams.

Earlier this week a pathologist found Mr Williams was not stabbed or shot, and police are still working to find out how he died. Their investigations have included looking into Mr Williams' private life in an attempt to account for his death.

"Every nation spies on everyone else"

A former intelligence officer from America has told Channel 4 News that spying goes on "every day, 24 hours a day."

Bob Ayres said: "As long as people use codes to protect their communications, there will still be people working to break them.

"Codes now are based on sophisticated cryptographic systems. Spies are used to create and produce cryptographic systems that other people can’t break, and to break the systems used by other countries. These systems are based on sophisticated mathematics, so that is the ideal background.

"Intelligence, spying, these are jobs and business that go on every day, 24 hours a day. Every nation spies on everyone else and everybody spies on them. There is nothing romantic or intriguing about it. It is just a business. In terms of men in raincoats standing under bridges, that is a very small percentage of what actually goes on in the intelligence business."

Channel 4 : MI6 and GCHQ enquiries into dead spy vetting

MI6 and GCHQ enquiries into dead spy vetting

By Jonathan Rugman | August 27, 2010

Exclusive: Channel 4 News has learnt that the government's most secretive intelligence agencies have launched internal enquiries into the vetting of an MI6 employee found dead in his flat.

Police found the body of Gareth Williams in a sports holdall bag on Monday afternoon. The bag was discovered in the bath of his home in Alderney Street, Pimlico, a short distance from MI6 headquarters.

Initial reports suggested the body may have been lying there for up to two weeks, although security sources today claimed Mr Williams had been seen alive "well within" the two week period before his body was discovered, and that it was only a matter of a few days before his absence was noticed by his employers.

The investigation into Mr Williams' death has not resulted in any arrests, but the working assumption is that the killing had no connection with the 31-year-old's secret work, believed to be as a code and cipher expert. He was on secondment from GCHQ to MI6.

Police have still not classified this as a murder investigation because the cause of death has not been established. There were no reported signs of disturbance at the flat, although murder is still considered the most likely possibility.

"There is nothing to suggest a security leak", a source told Channel 4 News. "This is most likely the human tragedy of a private young man who may have had issues."

A post-mortem examination failed to find the cause of death, though claims that he was stabbed have been denied. Further tests are being carried out to see if the keen amateur cyclist may have been asphyxiated or poisoned. It had been reported that there were no obvious signs of strangulation.

GCHQ conducts what it called "rigorous security clearance" for potential employees to ascertain whether there is the "the risk of an individual being placed in a potentially compromising position.

"If you do not meet the Developed Vetting requirements for the job, or fail to disclose any security related issues or concerns, you will not be considered for employment," the organisation said.

Mr Williams regularly travelled to the United States, where it is understood that he worked at the National Security Agency at Fort Meade in Maryland, the American government's listening post and the largest intelligence agency in the world.

The CIA has also been investigating any possible security breach, but British authorities believed that Mr Williams' killer probably did not know about his work.

Newspaper reports have suggested that bondage equipment was found in the flat, but security sources denied this today.

Officials confirmed that the SIM cards from Mr Williams' mobile phone were found at the scene, but believed they had not been laid out in a "ritualistic fashion" and were probably just a sign of personal neatness.

Claims that phone numbers of male escorts were found on the SIM cards have also been denied, though sources conceded that Mr Williams' sexual preferences may have played a role in his death.

Initial leaks of details to the press, including the Welshman's employment at MI6, have caused friction between Britain's secret intelligence agencies and police investigating the case.

Claims about Mr Williams' private life have also upset his family, already grieving over his death. Mr Williams was due to return to his work at GCHQ next month.

"Every nation spies on everyone else"

A former intelligence officer from America has told Channel 4 News that spying goes on "every day, 24 hours a day."

Bob Ayres said: "As long as people use codes to protect their communications, there will still be people working to break them.

"Codes now are based on sophisticated cryptographic systems. Spies are used to create and produce cryptographic systems that other people can’t break, and to break the systems used by other countries. These systems are based on sophisticated mathematics, so that is the ideal background.

"Intelligence, spying, these are jobs and business that go on every day, 24 hours a day. Every nation spies on everyone else and everybody spies on them. There is nothing romantic or intriguing about it. It is just a business. In terms of men in raincoats standing under bridges, that is a very small percentage of what actually goes on in the intelligence business."

Channel 4 : Family shock after spy sex claims

Family shock after spy sex claims

August 27, 2010

The family of a spy who was found dead in a bag in his bath are "shocked" by allegations about his life. Channel 4 News hears that code breakers are still needed by governments.

Gareth Williams had worked at GCHQ, but was recently based at MI6. His body was found by police on Monday in the flat which had been provided for him in London by the government. Scotland Yard detectives have been investigating his private life in an attempt to discover why he was killed.

There have been claims that Mr Williams was linked to a male escort and that bondage equipment was found in his home. A relative said there is no evidence the allegations are true: "I have spoken to Gareth's parents and they are not doing well at all. They are in a state of shock and struggling to come to terms with what has happened. They have seen what has been in the papers and they are very, very upset about these untruths."

It is understood that Mr Williams made regular trips to Washington DC and Fort Meade, near Baltimore.

Bob Ayres, a former intelligence officer from America, said that code breakers are still very much needed today: "As long as people use codes to protect their communications, there will still be people working to break them.

"Codes now are based on sophisticated cryptographic systems. Spies are used to create and produce cryptographic systems that other people can't break, and to break the systems used by other countries. These systems are based on sophisticated mathematics, so that is the ideal background."

Channel 4 News has exclusively learnt that the government's most secretive intelligence agencies have launched internal enquiries into the vetting of an MI6 employee found dead in his flat.

"There is nothing to suggest a security leak", a source told Channel 4 News. "This is most likely the human tragedy of a private young man who may have had issues."

GCHQ conducts what it called "rigorous security clearance" for potential employees to ascertain whether there is the "the risk of an individual being placed in a potentially compromising position."

"If you do not meet the Developed Vetting requirements for the job, or fail to disclose any security related issues or concerns, you will not be considered for employment," the organisation said.

The CIA has also been investigating any possible security breach, but British authorities believed that Mr Williams' killer probably did not know about his work

A childhood friend of Gareth Williams, Dylan Parry, said Mr Williams was academically gifted but socially naïve. Bob Ayres said that intelligence organisations prefer staff to be: "Quiet, reserved and keep to themselves. If you are complying with the desires of an intelligence organisation, you do not tell people what you do or where you work. You do not get engaged in conversations which might lead you to say what you do.

"Either Gareth Williams was being a good intelligence practitioner, or he was just shy and uncomfortable.

"Intelligence, spying, these are jobs and business that go on every day, 24 hours a day. Every nation spies on everyone else and everybody spies on them. There is nothing romantic or intriguing about it. It is just a business. In terms of men in raincoats standing under bridges, that is a very small percentage of what actually goes on in the intelligence business.

"You might think it is a game, but it is when you realise the consequences of losing the game it becomes more serious."

Further tests will be carried out on Mr Williams' body after a post-mortem examination did not identify a cause of death. A pathologist said he was not stabbed or shot and there were no obvious signs of strangulation.

Channel 4 : Police probe murdered MI6 spy's private life

Police probe murdered MI6 spy's private life

By Channel 4 News | August 26, 2010

Detectives investigating the killing of an MI6 codes expert are looking into his private life for information which may lead them to his killer.
Murdered MI6 codes expert Gareth Williams (Credit: London Media)

Detectives are questioning associates and friends of murdered codes expert Gareth Williams for clues which could identify his killer.

The remains of the 30 year old, who was employed by the top-secret GCHQ listening station, were found in a holdall in the bath of his flat in south-west London.

His body is thought to have lain there for up to a fortnight.

Police also discovered his mobile phone and several sim cards laid out nearby when they broke into the top-floor flat in Alderney Street, Pimlico at around 4.40pm on Monday.

Mr Williams's family are travelling to London from their home in Wales to speaks to police and formally identify the body.

A man who answered the door at the family home said: "As you can imagine, it is hard enough at the moment and we have nothing to say."

Last night, a post-mortem examination on Mr Williams proved inconclusive so further tests, including toxicological analysis of his blood for evidence of drugs and alcohol, will now take place.

Investigators from the Metropolitan Police's homicide and serious crime command called the death "suspicious and unexplained", but sources said there is no evidence that Mr Williams was stabbed, contradicting earlier reports.

Those close to the inquiry have played down speculation that the murder is linked to his secretive line of work and security sources say there is no evidence linking Mr Williams's death to any rival secret service.

He had been employed as a communications officer at the GCHQ "listening post" in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, but was on secondment at the headquarters of MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service, which is only about half a mile from the flat.

Public documents have revealed that several current and former residents of the freehold block also have links to London and Cheltenham.

Police are continuing to scour Mr William's flat for evidence and cordons remain in place on the prestigious street which is also home to two former home secretaries.

One source said: "The suggestion there are terrorism or national security links to this case is pretty low down the list of probabilities."

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "There is an ongoing police investigation.

"It is long-standing government policy not to confirm or deny that any individual works for the intelligence agencies."

Land Registry documents reveal the block at number 36 Alderney Street, where the body was found, is owned by a private company, New Rodina.

The details of this company are hidden because it is registered in the British Virgin Islands and not listed with Companies House.

The word rodina means "motherland" in Russian and Bulgarian.

The property was bought for £675,250 in 2000 with a mortgage from the Royal Bank of Scotland and has been remortgaged twice, in September 2005 and February 2006.

The documents reveal the owner operated through a law firm known as Park Nelson.

This firm once occupied a rented block in Bell Yard, off Fleet Street, but it no longer appears to exist.

Neighbours shocked

Mr Williams joined Cambridge University's St Catharine's College to undertake a postgraduate certificate in mathematics in 2000 but dropped out a year later.

His former landlady Jenny Elliott said he lived in a flat attached to her Cheltenham property for 10 years and was preparing to return on 3 September.

"He phoned me a few weeks ago to say he was coming back," she said.

She described him as "a lovely guy, very friendly, very well-mannered and polite and no trouble at all".

She added: "He was often away. He went to America to work a lot and often combined it with holiday because he hated flying."

Former Tory leader Michael Howard and Sir Leon Brittan are among a host of politicians and bankers who live in the street, according to residents.

Mr Williams's neighbours described him as athletic, a keen cyclist and as having a strong Welsh accent.

Neighbour Laura Houghton said a man identifying himself as Gareth lived at the address that is being searched.

She said: "I have spoken to him only once. I met him in the entrance hall of the set of flats because of a boring plant issue about a year ago.

"He was extremely friendly and had a Welsh accent."

She said the man had an athletic build, and added: "He was not especially tall. He had medium to short brown hair.

"His windows were always shut and curtains were often closed. I could never tell if anyone was in.

"It was strange that we never saw him come and go. I just assumed he worked away.

"The first I heard of anything happening was when the police knocked on my door and asked me if I had heard anything happening. I told them the walls were so thick that I couldn't hear a thing.

"All they told me was that there had been a serious incident. I'm amazed it's taken this long to all come out."

GCHQ has a rigorous recruitment system which includes enquiring about character, family history and personal circumstances.
On the GCHQ website it says:

"GCHQ conducts enquiries into the character, family history and personal circumstances of candidates before they can be employed. It is for the protection of both the individual and GCHQ assets that we consider the risk of an individual being placed in a potentially compromising position".

"To ensure your suitability for appointment you will have to undergo a rigorous security clearance. As part of this a criminal records check will be conducted and you will be drugs tested.

"If you do not meet the Developed Vetting requirements for the job, or fail to disclose any security related issues or concerns, you will not be considered for employment."

It is unlikely GCHQ will consider a person for a position in GCHQ if they:
• Have used Class A drugs (e.g. ecstasy, cocaine, etc) in the last 12 months.
• Have used Class B/C drugs (e.g. amphetamines, cannabis, etc) in the last 6 months.
• Are currently being treated for an addiction (e.g. alcohol, gambling, etc) or have received such treatment in the last 12 months.
• Have ever suffered from manic depression or schizophrenia.
• Are currently bankrupt or the subject of an Individual Voluntary Agreement (IVA).

Pensioner Eileen Booth, 73, who lives opposite, said detectives told her the murder may have taken place two weeks ago.

She said: "A few years ago, I would definitely have known who it was that had been killed. But nobody knows each other these days.

Another neighbour Rob Mills, 35, who lives two doors away, said: "We've got two children, it's shocking.

"I'm told the man lived at the top-floor flat but we haven't ever seen him. It's not like you'd tell your neighbours if you were a spy."

Jason Hollands, 41, a city worker, who also lives nearby, said: "It's truly gruesome. This is a very mixed area of bankers and politicians. I've spoken to the next-door neighbour, who knew nothing."

Murder investigation

Scotland Yard has launched a murder investigation, led by detectives from its homicide and serious crime command wing.

It is thought that counter-terrorist and security service officers are also helping detectives in the inquiry.

Investigators say they are following up "several lines of inquiry" but declined to confirm the occupation of the dead man.

It is the first murder on British soil of someone linked to the secret services since the death of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006.

The former KGB agent died in hospital after drinking tea laced with radioactive polonium-210.

In September 1978, Bulgarian defector Georgi Markov was killed by an assassin who used an umbrella to fire a deadly ricin pellet into his leg as he walked across Waterloo Bridge.

Channel 4 : Body of killed MI6 man 'dead for two weeks'

Body of killed MI6 man 'dead for two weeks'

By Channel 4 News | August 25, 2010

As detectives confirm the body of an MI6 employee may have lay undiscovered for two weeks, a former MI6 officer tells Channel 4 News the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) will be very concerned about the killing.

The body of the man, named locally as 31-year-old Gareth Williams from Angelsey, was found stuffed into a large sports holdall in the bath of his central London apartment.

Officers discovered his mobile phone and several sim cards laid out nearby when they broke into the top-floor flat in Alderney Street, Pimlico at around 4.40pm on Monday.

It is understood Mr Williams had been stabbed, possibly several times, and his body was decomposing when it was found.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said the body had yet to be formally identified.

MI6 will never confirm whether Gareth Williams worked for them or not, writes Channel 4 News Foreign Affairs Correspondent Jonathan Rugman, given the organisation's cloak of secrecy.

Security sources point out that the investigation into his death is being led by homicide and serious crime units from the Metropolitan Police - apparently ruling out any suspicion that this was a terrorist hit or related to Mr Williams' work.

I understand there is no evidence of any link between this killing and al Qaeda or any foreign intelligence service, including the Russians, though MI6 and GCHQ are waiting for the police to give them the results of the post-mortem examination.

Colleagues raised the alarm and contacted authorities on Monday after Mr Williams had not been seen for "some time".

It is understood he had been employed as a communications officer at the GCHQ "listening post" in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

But it is believed he was on secondment at the headquarters of MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service, which is only about half a mile from the flat.

Public documents revealed that several current and former residents of the freehold block have links to London and Cheltenham.

Police are continuing to scour the two-floor flat for evidence and cordons remain in place on the prestigious street where two former home secretaries live.

Sources close to the inquiry said it is not clear how Mr Williams died and played down speculation that the murder is linked to his secretive line of work.

One source said: "The suggestion there is terrorism or national security links to this case is pretty low down the list of probabilities."

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "There is an ongoing police investigation.

"It is long-standing Government policy not to confirm or deny that any individual works for the intelligence agencies."

Security sources say there is no evidence linking Mr Williams' death to any rival secret service.

But Harry Ferguson, a former MI6 officer, told Channel 4 News that the agency would still be concerned.

"I think the chances are quite high it was a private matter, although it still leaves the mystery of the sim cards," he said.

"If it was that, it would concern MI6 anyway because it suggests he was carrying on liaisons in his private life that they weren't aware of that led to this sort of incident."

Land Registry documents reveal the block at number 36 Alderney Street, where the body was found, is owned by a private company, New Rodina.

The details of this company are hidden because it is registered in the British Virgin Islands and not listed with Companies House.

The word rodina means "motherland" in Russian and Bulgarian.

The property was bought for £675,250 in 2000 with a mortgage from the Royal Bank of Scotland and has been remortgaged twice, in September 2005 and February 2006.

The documents reveal the owner operated through a law firm known as Park Nelson.

This firm once occupied a rented block in Bell Yard, off Fleet Street, but it no longer appears to exist.

Neighbours shocked

Former Tory leader Michael Howard and Sir Leon Brittan are among a host of politicians and bankers who live in the street, according to residents.

Neighbour Laura Houghton said an "extremely friendly" man identifying himself as Gareth lived at the address that is being searched.

She said: "I have spoken to him only once. I met him in the entrance hall of the set of flats because of a boring plant issue about a year ago.

"He was extremely friendly and had a Welsh accent."

She said the man had an athletic build, and added: "He was not especially tall. He had medium to short brown hair.

"His windows were always shut and curtains were often closed. I could never tell if anyone was in.

"It was strange that we never saw him come and go. I just assumed he worked away.

"The first I heard of anything happening was when the police knocked on my door and asked me if I had heard anything happening. I told them the walls were so thick that I couldn't hear a thing.

"All they told me was that there had been a serious incident. I'm amazed it's taken this long to all come out."

GCHQ has a rigorous recruitment system which includes enquiring about character, family history and personal circumstances.

On the GCHQ website it says:

"GCHQ conducts enquiries into the character, family history and personal circumstances of candidates before they can be employed. It is for the protection of both the individual and GCHQ assets that we consider the risk of an individual being placed in a potentially compromising position".

"To ensure your suitability for appointment you will have to undergo a rigorous security clearance. As part of this a criminal records check will be conducted and you will be drugs tested.

"If you do not meet the Developed Vetting requirements for the job, or fail to disclose any security related issues or concerns, you will not be considered for employment."

It is unlikely GCHQ will consider a person for a position in GCHQ if they:

• Have used Class A drugs (e.g. ecstasy, cocaine, etc) in the last 12 months.
• Have used Class B/C drugs (e.g. amphetamines, cannabis, etc) in the last 6 months.
• Are currently being treated for an addiction (e.g. alcohol, gambling, etc) or have received such treatment in the last 12 months.
• Have ever suffered from manic depression or schizophrenia.
• Are currently bankrupt or the subject of an Individual Voluntary Agreement (IVA).

Pensioner Eileen Booth, 73, who lives opposite, said detectives told her the murder may have taken place two weeks ago.

She said: "A few years ago, I would definitely have known who it was that had been killed. But nobody knows each other these days.

"Detectives came round and asked for our eye colour and height. They said this probably happened two weeks ago."

Another neighbour Rob Mills, 35, who lives two doors away, said: "We've got two children - it's shocking.

"I'm told the man lived at the top-floor flat but we haven't ever seen him. It's not like you'd tell your neighbours if you were a spy."

Jason Hollands, 41, a City worker, who also lives nearby, said: "It's truly gruesome - this is a very mixed area of bankers and politicians. I've spoken to the next-door neighbour, who knew nothing."

Murder investigation

Scotland Yard has launched a murder investigation, led by detectives from its Homicide and Serious Crime Command wing. It is thought that counter-terrorist and security service officers are also helping detectives in the inquiry.

He said investigators were following up "several lines of inquiry" but declined to confirm the occupation of the dead man.

It is the first murder on British soil of someone linked to the secret services since the death of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006.

The former KGB agent died in hospital after drinking tea laced with radioactive polonium-210.

Bulgarian defector Georgi Markov was killed by an assassin who used an umbrella to fire a deadly ricin pellet into his leg as he walked across Waterloo Bridge in September 1978.