Merchant News : FBI joins investigation of MI6 agent death

FBI joins investigation of MI6 agent death

by Tom Chiltton | September 26, 2010

The FBI is the latest government organisation to join the manhunt for the couple linked to an MI6 agent that was found dead in a London safe house.

Using face recognition technology, the US Federal Investigations Bureau will determine if MI6 spy Gareth Williams at any point traveled to the US with a couple that fits the description of the two individuals being sought after by Scotland Yard. The couple, described as Mediterranean in appearance, is believed to have visited Williams’ flat in June or July.

Scotland Yard has, so far, not been able to locate the couple, but detectives maintain that they are vital to the ongoing inquiry. Williams’, a maths prodigy, made frequent trips to the US to the US National Security Agency in Maryland working on secondment. Williams arrived back in London from Washington on Tuesday 10 August and his body was found in his flat on 23 August. On the 15th of August, Williams was caught on camera shopping at Harrods. The MI6 agent’s funeral was held Friday and attended by MI6 head Sir John Sawers.

FBI agents have searched the flat that Williams used while working at the NSA in the States and have interviewed several of his colleagues. They have also taken steps to investigate whether or not the couple could be linked to Williams small group of friends in the States. According to US intelligence sources, so far nothing compromising has been turned up during the investigation.

Williams was a key player in a joint team operation put together by MI6, NSA and GCHQ. He was working on defence schemes for cyber attacks for both Britain and the US at the time of his death. According to one source, Williams clearance was so high, he had access to more than 30 different categories of NSA information.

UPI : Dead MI6 agent also worked in Washington

Dead MI6 agent also worked in Washington

September 25, 2010

LONDON, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- The FBI is helping British police in their investigation into the death of an intelligence analyst who had worked in the United States, officials say.

Sir John Sawers, the head of MI6, the British military intelligence agency, attended Gareth Williams' funeral Friday at the Bethel Methodist Chapel in Anglesey, Wales, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Williams' body was found in his London apartment locked into a sports bag on Aug. 23. Investigators had not determined a cause of death.

Williams, 31, made several trips to the United States to work with the National Security Agency at Fort Meade in Maryland, the Telegraph said. He returned from his final trip on Aug. 10.

A couple reportedly visited Williams in London. The FBI has been using face recognition technology to determine if the couple were with Williams on any of his flights into or out of the United States.

Agents have also asked baggage handlers in Washington if they remember a bag like the one where the body was found and have searched an apartment where he stayed in the city, the Telegraph said.

Guardian : MI6 chief attends funeral of intelligence worker Gareth Williams

MI6 chief attends funeral of intelligence worker Gareth Williams

Sir John Sawers pays tribute to 'hugely talented person' who did 'really valuable work in the cause of national security'

Press Association | September 24, 2010

The head of MI6 has attended the funeral of Gareth Williams, the intelligence officer found dead in a padlocked holdall in his London flat.

Police are still investigating the death last month.

Sir John Sawers, the public face of the agency, took his place in the Methodist chapel in Anglesey through the front door – unlike some agents who used a back door to protect their identities.

Outside the church Sir John said Williams's death was a police matter, adding: "It has been a desperately sad period for the family since Gareth died. Gareth was a hugely talented person and he was very modest and generous as well.

"He did really valuable work with us in the cause of national security."

In the church, tributes were led by Islwyn Williams, the headteacher of the code breaker and cipher specialist's primary school, Ysgol Morswyn.

Mr Williams said of all the children he taught, Gareth made the strongest lasting impression and was academically brilliant.

Williams was last seen alive eight days before his body was found.

CCTV showed him shopping at Harrods and at Holland Park tube station.

Police have not categorised his death as murder.Williams was days from completing a one-year secondment to the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, in Vauxhall, London.

He was due to return to a rented flat in Cheltenham where Government Communications Headquarters, GCHQ, is based.

Williams also worked for the United States National Security Agency and made regular trips to Washington DC and Fort Meade, near Baltimore.

Telegraph : Gareth Williams funeral: Head of MI6 pays tribute to 'hugely talented' spy found dead in bag

Gareth Williams funeral: Head of MI6 pays tribute to 'hugely talented' spy found dead in bag

September 24, 2010

The head of MI6 has attended the funeral of Gareth Williams, describing the spy found dead in a sports bag in the bath of his London flat as "hugely talented".

Sir John Sawers made the journey from London to the small Bethel Methodist Chapel in Anglesey to support Mr Williams's family and represent colleagues who could not attend.

Sir John, the public face of the agency, took his place in the 115-year-old church through the front door - unlike a number of others who were ushered into the building through a back door to protect their identities.

Williams, 31, a maths prodigy who worked for GCHQ in Cheltenham, was on a year's secondment at the Secret Intelligence Service in London when he was found dead last month.

His body was discovered trapped in a padlocked North Face holdall in the bath of his flat in Pimlico, London.

Mystery surrounds his death and police continue to investigate.

No trace of drugs or alcohol was found in the cycling enthusiast's body.

Outside church, when asked if the investigation would ever get to the bottom of what happened to Mr Williams, Sir John said it was a matter for the police.

''It has been a desperately sad period for the family since Gareth died, " he said.

''It has been very difficult for them and I wanted to be here today as the only public face of the Secret Intelligence Service.

''My deepest sympathies go to the family.

''Gareth was a hugely talented person and he was very modest and generous as well.

''He did really valuable work with us in the cause of national security.''

In the church, tributes were led by Islwyn Williams, who was the future code breaker's head teacher at primary school.

Mr Williams said of all the children he taught, the spy made the strongest lasting impression and was academically brilliant.

The teacher applauded his pupil for transferring to secondary school at age 10 and passing his maths GCSE at age 13.

''He accomplished more in three short decades than the rest of us do in a lifetime,'' he said.

Tearful relatives followed the pine coloured coffin into church with his parents Ian and Ellen and sister Ceri, whose husband Chris Subbe also paid tribute to Williams during the service.

The dead man's brother-in-law said he and his wife last saw him three months ago.

Williams had taken the pair for tea at the Ritz hotel to celebrate their second wedding anniversary.

''As the sun was setting the world was ours for the taking,'' said Mr Subbe.

Williams' parents issued a short statement saying: ''Ellen, Ian, Ceri, Chris and all the family wish to thank everyone for all the sympathy and kindness shown to them in their bereavement.''

Williams was last seen alive eight days before his body was found.

CCTV showed him shopping at Harrods and at Holland Park tube station.

Police have refused to categorise his death as murder.

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

He was due to return to a rented flat in Cheltenham where Government Communications Headquarters, GCHQ, is based.

Williams also worked for the United States National Security Agency and made regular trips to Washington DC and Fort Meade, near Baltimore.

Daily Mail : 'Spooks' in mourning: Head of MI6 attends funeral of spy found locked in sports bag

'Spooks' in mourning: Head of MI6 attends funeral of spy found locked in sports bag

By Daily Mail Reporter | September 24, 2010

Spy Gareth Williams, who was found dead in a sports bag in a Central London flat, has been laid to rest in a service attended by the head of MI6.

Sir John Sawers made the journey from London to the small Bethel Methodist Chapel in Anglesey on Friday to support Mr Williams's family and represent the maths genius's colleagues who could not attend.

Sir John, the public face of the agency, took his place in the 115-year-old church through the front door - unlike a number of other spooks ushered into the building through a back door to protect their identities.

Mr Williams, 31, was on secondment at the Secret Intelligence Service from GCHQ in Cheltenham, when he was found dead last month.

His body was discovered trapped in a padlocked North Face holdall placed in the bath of his flat in Pimlico.

Mystery surrounds his death and police continue to investigate. No trace of drugs or alcohol was found in the cycling enthusiast's body.

Outside church, when asked if the investigation would ever get to the bottom of what happened to Mr Williams, Sir John said it was not for him to say.

He insisted it was a police matter and said: 'It has been a desperately sad period for the family since Gareth died.

'It has been very difficult for them and I wanted to be here today as the only public face of the Secret Intelligence Service.

'My deepest sympathies go to the family. Gareth was a hugely talented person and he was very modest and generous as well.

'He did really valuable work with us in the cause of national security.'

Tearful relatives followed Mr Williams's pine-coloured coffin into church with his parents Ian and Ellen and sister Ceri, whose husband Chris Subbe also paid tribute to Mr Williams during the service.

Mr Williams's parents issued a short statement saying: 'Ellen, Ian, Ceri, Chris and all the family wish to thank everyone for all the sympathy and kindness shown to them in their bereavement.'

In church, tributes were led by Islwyn Williams, the headteacher of the code breaker and cipher specialist's primary school, Ysgol Morswyn.

Mr Williams said of all the children he taught, the spy made the strongest lasting impression and was academically brilliant.

The teacher applauded his pupil for transferring to secondary school at age 10 and passing his maths GCSE at age 13.

'He accomplished more in three short decades than the rest of us do in a lifetime,' he said.

Mr Williams was last seen alive eight days before his body was found. CCTV showed him shopping at Harrods and at Holland Park tube station.

Police have refused to categorise his death as murder.

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

He was due to return to a rented flat in Cheltenham where Government Communications Headquarters, GCHQ, is based.

Mr Williams also worked for the United States National Security Agency and made regular trips to Washington DC and Fort Meade, near Baltimore.

UKPA : MI6 chief attends funeral of spy

MI6 chief attends funeral of spy

UKPA | September 24, 2010

Spy Gareth Williams, who was found dead in a flat in central London, has been laid to rest in a service attended by the head of MI6.

Sir John Sawers made the journey from London to the small Bethel Methodist Chapel in Anglesey on Friday to support Mr Williams's family and represent the maths genius's colleagues who could not attend.

Sir John, the public face of the agency, took his place in the 115-year-old church through the front door - unlike a number of other spooks ushered into the building through a back door to protect their identities.

Mr Williams, 31, was on secondment at the Secret Intelligence Service from GCHQ in Cheltenham, when he was found dead last month. His body was discovered trapped in a padlocked North Face holdall placed in the bath of his flat in Pimlico.

Mystery surrounds his death and police continue to investigate. No trace of drugs or alcohol was found in the cycling enthusiast's body.

Outside church, when asked if the investigation would ever get to the bottom of what happened to Mr Williams, Sir John said it was not for him to say. He insisted it was a police matter and said: "It has been a desperately sad period for the family since Gareth died.

"It has been very difficult for them and I wanted to be here today as the only public face of the Secret Intelligence Service. My deepest sympathies go to the family. Gareth was a hugely talented person and he was very modest and generous as well. He did really valuable work with us in the cause of national security."

Tearful relatives followed Mr Williams's pine coloured coffin into church with his parents Ian and Ellen and sister Ceri, whose husband Chris Subbe also paid tribute to Mr Williams during the service. Mr Williams's parents issued a short statement saying: "Ellen, Ian, Ceri, Chris and all the family wish to thank everyone for all the sympathy and kindness shown to them in their bereavement."

Mr Williams was last seen alive eight days before his body was found. CCTV showed him shopping at Harrods and at Holland Park tube station. Police have refused to categorise his death as murder.

Mr Williams was days from completing a one-year secondment to the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, in Vauxhall, London. He was due to return to a rented flat in Cheltenham where Government Communications Headquarters, GCHQ, is based. Mr Williams also worked for the United States National Security Agency and made regular trips to Washington DC and Fort Meade, near Baltimore.

Copyright © 2010 The Press Association. All rights reserved.

San Francisco Examiner : Was British code-breaker assassinated?

Was British code-breaker assassinated?

By Barbara Hollingsworth, Local Opinion Editor | September 10, 2010

Jeff Stein, the Washington Post’s SpyTalk blogger, says that unnamed “U.S. intelligence officials” have downplayed the possibility that British code-breaker Gareth Williams – who worked closely with the U.S. National Security Agency at Fort Meade and American intelligence officials in Kabul – was assassinated.

But back in London, where the naked, decomposing body of the 31-year-old “math genius” was found August 23 in a padlocked duffel bag in the bathroom of an apartment kept as a “safe house” by Britain’s M16, police are not so sure. “Murder detectives say they are still looking at whether Gareth Williams may have been killed by a foreign intelligence agency seeking to stop his work on intercepting messages and code-breaking,” according to the Daily Telegraph.

Williams was “on loan” to M16 from Britain’s top-secret Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), and reportedly played a “key role” overseeing Echelon, a secret electronic network that links satellites and super computers in Britain, the U.S. and other Western allies that eavesdrop on terrorist networks.

There was no sign of forced entry at the Cambridge-educated mathematician’s Pimlico address. William Hughes said his nephew had recently returned from a summer visit to the U.S. (presumably to NSA). And according to the Daily Mail, investigators were also looking for Williams’ personally configured laptop, which is reportedly still missing.

Misinformation released at the time Williams’ body was discovered, including initial rumors that he had been stabbed, were later refuted. British officials also backed away from earlier reports that “bondage gear, gay contact magazines and male escorts’ phone numbers” were found at the scene.

The cause of death has still not been established. Toxicology tests found no alcohol or recreational drugs in Williams’ system. Scotland Yard called the death “suspicious and unexplained,” and announced it was looking for a “young Mediterranean couple” who visited Williams a month or two ago, but haven’t been seen since.

Detective Chief Inspector Jacqueline Sebire of London’s Homicide and Serious Crime Command, who is leading the investigation into Williams’ murder, told reporters: “This remains a complex unexplained death enquiry.”

So ruling out the possibility that Williams was assassinated by a foreign intelligence agency would seem to be slightly premature.

Washington Post (blog) : Gareth Williams probe focuses on mystery couple

Gareth Williams probe focuses on mystery couple

By Jeff Stein | September 7, 2010

London police, still stumped by the bizarre death of British code-breaker Gareth Williams last month, are looking for a young couple "of Mediterranean appearance" who were recorded by security cameras while visiting his building late at night in the weeks or months before he died, according to local reports.

Police have also been studying tapes from London’s closed-circuit security cameras that reportedly recorded Williams shopping in London’s fashionable Sloane district in the days before his decomposing body was discovered in an athletic bag in his apartment.

An autopsy discovered no drugs or alcohol in his system, said police, who were also investigating whether anyone made a duplicate of Williams’s keys.

An expert on the National Security Agency, meanwhile, speculated that Williams was working for the Special Projects Activity, a little-known clandestine unit buried deep in the U.K.’s General Communications Headquarters, Britain’s equivalent of the NSA.

The SPA and its American equivalent, a joint CIA-NSA operation known as the Special Collection Service, conduct ultra-sensitive operations against foreign targets from U.S. and allied embassies abroad.

Williams, a “gifted mathematician,” according to news reports, frequently visited NSA headquarters at Ft. Meade.

“All the people I talk to say Williams was probably involved in what is referred to in the intelligence trade as ‘technical operations,’ which is a broad cover-all term which generically refers to clandestine signal intelligence or telephone tapping, things like that," Matthew M. Aid, author of "The Secret Sentry: The Untold History of the National Security Agency," said in a telephone interview.

“The targets of the clandestine special collection units include the cell phone communications of (foreign) government ministers, police officials, military commanders (and) … security teams that are following (our) intelligence agents around the city,” added Aid, a onetime Russian linguist with the NSA’s Air Force branch.

The synergy of American and British eavesdroppers, Aid and other NSA historians say, is particularly valuable to U.S. intelligence, if only because the U.K. (and other English-speaking allies, such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand) have embassies -- and thus listening platforms -- where Washington doesn’t, such as in Iran and North Korea.

The NSA supplies the allies with advanced interception and code-breaking equipment, they say, and gets to share the take in return.

Washington Post (blog) : U.S. officials: Gareth Williams death not spy-related

U.S. officials: Gareth Williams death not spy-related

By Jeff Stein | September 2, 2010

British media reports suggesting a spy-world connection to the gruesome death of U.K. code-breaker Gareth Williams are groundless, according to U.S. intelligence officials.

While refusing to comment publicly about the death of Williams, whose decomposing remains were discovered stuffed in a duffel bag in the bathtub of his London apartment on Aug. 23, the officials advised treating the British reports with great skepticism.

Williams, 30 or 31 at the time of his death, depending on reports, was said to be a "math genius" at Britain's code-breaking agency, the Government Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ. He was on temporary assignment with the U.K. foreign intelligence service MI6. Williams's work decoding terrorist communications caused him to consult frequently with the U.S. National Security Agency at Ft. Meade, Md., according to British news reports.

But James Bamford, author of three authoritative books on the NSA, scoffed at hints of a terrorist or other intelligence-related murder conspiracy.

“There’s been a lot of hyped-up coverage in the U.K., but even codebreakers die from unrelated violence occasionally,” Bamford told SpyTalk. “Hundreds of NSA and GCHQ personnel travel back and forth between agencies every year, and leaving a body in a canvas bag sounds more like a jealous lover or drug deal gone bad than a political assassination.”

Bamford, who has developed scores of NSA sources over the years, added, “I haven’t heard anything of concern from my people on this.”

"Strange story," said a former top CIA official in London, "but I would be very surprised if it involves espionage foul play."

An NSA spokesperson, Vanee Vines, declined to comment on any relationship Williams may have had with the agency, or whether agency officials had been quizzed by British police. The CIA likewise declined to comment.

“I can tell you that we do not confirm or deny agency affiliation,” Vines said by e-mail. “I don't have any information to share with you.”

In a typical British report, the Telegraph of London reported Monday that “murder detectives say they are still looking at whether Gareth Williams may have been killed by a foreign intelligence agency seeking to stop his work on intercepting messages and code-breaking.”

“Interviews with friends and family of Mr. Williams, 30, have so far offered no clear leads as to how or why he died,” the paper said.

Still, after two autopsies, according to reports, police are treating the death of Williams as "suspicious and unexplained."

Daily Post : Anglesey spy Gareth Williams cause of death still days away

Anglesey spy Gareth Williams cause of death still days away

By Sara Thomas, Daily Post | August 30, 2010

INVESTIGATORS are still days away from finding out the exact cause of death of British code-breaker Gareth Williams, according to police.

The complicated nature of the tests currently being carried out mean it could be well into next week before police are able to piece together how the Anglesey maths genius died.

A post mortem examination last week proved inconclusive and officers are still days away from determining if he was asphyxiated, poisoned or if drugs or alcohol were present in his system.

He was last seen alive eight days before his corpse was found stuffed in a bag at his flat.

A confirmed sighting of Mr Williams, 30, was made on August 15 in London, officers said.

But police would not say whether the sighting was made on CCTV or came from another source.

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.

Scotland Yard are playing down reports that thousands of pounds had passed through Mr Williams’ bank account shortly before his death as “pure speculation”.

It was reported that three sums of £2,000 were paid into his account on consecutive days and then withdrawn on consecutive days.

Meanwhile, Mr Williams’ family, who live in Valley, hit out at rumours that suggested the dead man was involved in risky sexual practices.

In a statement they said speculation linking the secret service employee to a male escort and bondage equipment had been “very distressing”.

Mr Williams, who was on secondment to MI6, was found dead in a sports holdall in the bath of his Government flat last Monday.

As police continued to investigate whether the GCHQ codes expert lived a secret double life, his family paid tribute to the murdered spy.

They 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 anyone with information to come forward and assist the police inquiry.”

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “We can confirm that Mr Williams was in London from Wednesday August 11, and what officers believe is the last confirmed sighting of him still alive in London was on Sunday August 15.”

Police turned their focus to Mr Williams’ private life as they attempt to account for his death.

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

He was due to return to a rented flat in Cheltenham where Government Communications Headquarters, GCHQ, is based.

Mr Williams also worked for the United States National Security Agency and made regular trips to Washington DC and Fort Meade, near Baltimore.

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

Police refused to categorise the death as a murder, despite the bizarre circumstances and say he may have died innocently.

They were considering whether he became the victim of a sex game that went wrong.

Officers are examining his mobile phone and financial records.

They suspect he may have known his killer as there was no sign of forced entry at his top-floor flat in smart Alderney Street, Pimlico.

But questions remain over why his body was not discovered earlier.

Express : MI5 CALLED IN ON MI6 SPY RIDDLE

MI5 CALLED IN ON MI6 SPY RIDDLE

By James Fielding and Jane Clinton | August 29, 2010

MI6 and MI5 have joined forces for the first time since the Cold War to solve code breaker Gareth Williams’ murder.

Security chiefs have taken the highly unusual step amid fears Mr Williams was killed by a foreign agent.

Spooks from both intelligence services are shocked that one of their own was killed in their own backyard.

Meanwhile, there was fury in the US last night after FBI attempts to quiz Mr Williams’ best friend, a 25-year-old British woman working for British security in Colorado – were blocked by UK officials.

In a covert operation separate to the official police investigation, MI6 and MI5 agents are now trawling a list of more than 150 suspected “enemy spies” hiding in Britain.

They are tracing their movements over the past fortnight and are compiling a detailed dossier on each one.

The last co-operation between the two agencies was in the Fifties when five Cambridge University-educated spies, including Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, were found to have passed on information to the Soviet Union after the Second World War.

Agents probing Mr Williams’ death are working on the theory he was killed in a professional hit.

The Sunday Express can reveal the 31-year-old had been devising a firewall to protect British banks from computer hackers. He was based at the Government’s GCHQ ‘listening post’ in Cheltenham, where he had a flat, but was on a year’s secondment to MI6. The job often took him to the National Security Agency in Washington DC, the Pentagon’s GCHQ.

Mr Williams’ body was found on Monday in a sports holdall, which had been left in the bath at his rented £400,000 apartment in Pimlico, central London.

A post-mortem examination was inconclusive but sources close to the police investigation say he was not stabbed, shot, strangled or beaten, leaving suffocation or poisoning as the probable causes.

A source told the Sunday Express: “Mr Williams’ death sent shock-waves shuddering through both MI5 and MI6. The security service is in meltdown.

“The focus is increasingly being centred on his role for the security service and whether a foreign agent is to blame.”

Mr Williams last visited the US earlier this year and American spy chiefs fear that secret US information may have been leaked.

The source added: “The Americans want to know exactly what Mr Williams was doing in the States and whether he let slip any vital information before he died. Not being able to speak to his friends will have made things even worse.”

According to reports, Mr Williams, originally from Anglesey, North Wales, drew £6,000 from his bank account in the days before his death, which could mean he was the target of blackmail.

The Australian : Murdered spy more James Bondage than James Bond

Murdered spy more James Bondage than James Bond

From: The Times | August 28, 2010

POLICE investigating the murder of a British spy found bondage equipment in his flat and evidence linking him to a male escort, The Times has learnt.

The find has raised questions over how Gareth Williams's private life slipped through the vetting procedures of the security services.

Senior security personnel are said to be "extremely concerned" that an employee with high clearance had a lifestyle that put him in danger of being compromised.

A source close to the investigation said evidence discovered in the London flat included bondage items, porn films and paraphernalia associated with sado-masochism. It is also understood Mr Williams, who was on secondment to MI6 from GCHQ, the British government's top-secret listening post at Cheltenham, has been linked to a male escort.

Detectives have focused their investigations on the private life of Mr Williams, 30, since he was found on Monday murdered and stuffed into a sports bag in his flat in Pimlico, a short walk from MI6 headquarters in London.

It also emerged that Mr Williams travelled regularly to Washington DC on official business, raising further concerns about potential national security breaches because of the information to which he had access.

The national security agency refused to confirm or deny yesterday that Mr Williams, who is believed to have been an expert in codes, had worked for it.

The initial post-mortem examination has proved inconclusive and several tests, thought to include toxicology tests, are now being conducted.

The picture of Mr Williams that has emerged is that of a genius who led a solitary existence. Friends described him as athletic, kind and intelligent, but extremely private. Dylan Parry, a school friend, described him as academically gifted but socially naive, an isolated child fascinated by mathematics and computers. He was "the kind of person who found it difficult to engage with people on a normal level".

A former maths teacher said Mr Williams had "definitely the best brain" he had known. "It didn't surprise me at all that he was very interested in codes and ciphers and it didn't surprise me that he was recruited by GCHQ."

Online tributes mainly referred to his shy and quiet nature. One fellow Cambridge student said: "He seemed a shy and quiet chap, but had a peculiarly memorable laugh and smile that are haunting me somewhat today. I knew that Gareth had gone on to work at Cheltenham but would never have imagined his life culminating in this."

Keith Thompson, of Holyhead Cycling Club, said he had known Mr Williams since he joined the club at 17. "We were clubmates, but Gareth wasn't the sort to go the pub after a race so he didn't have any close friends in the group. I never spoke to him about his job or his private life."

Daily Post : Murdered Anglesey spy was a 'generous and loving' say family

Murdered Anglesey spy was a 'generous and loving' say family

by Our Correspondent, Daily Post | August 28, 2010

THE North Wales family of murdered British spy Gareth Williams last night paid tribute to a “generous, loving son, brother, and friend” as police continued to investigate the death of the GCHQ codes expert.

It came as Scotland Yard detectives revealed the 30-year-old was last seen alive in the capital on Sunday August 15 eight days before his decomposing body was found at his London home.

His relatives, who live in Valley, Anglesey, said in a statement: “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 inquiry.”

The mathematics genius, who was on secondment to MI6, was found dead in a sports holdall in the bath of his Government flat on Monday.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “We can confirm that Mr Williams was in London from Wednesday August 11, and what officers believe is the last confirmed sighting of him still alive in London was on Sunday August 15.”

Investigators have begun picking through his private life amid claims linking him to a male escort and suggestions that bondage equipment had been found at his home.

In the statement released by police, Mr Williams’ family said the “speculation” had been “very distressing”.

Sources close to the investigation have rejected the claims.

Relative William Hughes, 62, a councillor on Anglesey, insisted there was no evidence the allegations 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.

“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.

Police turned their focus to Mr Williams’ private life after colleagues discovered his body and raised the alarm.

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

He was due to return to a rented flat in Cheltenham where Government Communications Headquarters, GCHQ, is based.

It is understood Mr Williams also worked for the United States National Security Agency and made regular trips to Washington DC and Fort Meade, near Baltimore.

The mystery over his final hours deepened after a post-mortem examination failed to identify a cause of death.

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

Police have refused to categorise the death as a murder, despite the bizarre circumstances and say he may have died innocently.

Officers believe Mr Williams’ body could have lain undiscovered for many days and are examining his mobile phone and financial records.

Telegraph : Family of dead spy in tribute to 'loving son'

Family of dead spy in tribute to 'loving son'

By Nick Collins | August 28, 2010

The family of Gareth Williams, the British spy found murdered this week, paid tribute to their ''generous, loving son, brother, and friend'' as police investigated whether the GCHQ codes expert had been living a secret double life.

The message came as detectives revealed that the last reported sighting of the 30-year-old was on Sunday, August 15 - eight days before his decomposing body was found at his London home.

His 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 inquiry.''

The mathematician, who was on secondment to MI6, was found dead in a sports holdall in the bath of his Government flat on Monday.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "We can confirm that Mr Williams was in London from Wednesday August 11, and what officers believe is the last confirmed sighting of him still alive in London was on Sunday August 15."

Investigators have begun examining his private life amid claims linking him to a male escort and suggestions that bondage equipment had been found at his home.

In the statement released by police, Mr Williams' family said the "speculation" had been "very distressing".

Sources close to the investigation have rejected the claims.

Relative William Hughes, 62, a councillor on Anglesey, insisted there was no evidence the allegations 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."

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

Police turned their focus to Mr Williams' private life after colleagues discovered his body and raised the alarm.

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

He was due to return to a rented flat in Cheltenham where Government Communications Headquarters, GCHQ, is based.

It is understood Mr Williams also worked for the United States National Security Agency and made regular trips to Washington DC and Fort Meade, near Baltimore.

The mystery over his final hours deepened after a post-mortem examination failed to identify a cause of death.

Further tests will determine if the cycling fanatic was asphyxiated or poisoned, as well as 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.

Police have refused to categorise the death as a murder despite the bizarre circumstances, and say he may have died innocently.

They were considering whether he became the victim of a sex game that went wrong.

Officers suspect he may have known his killer as there was no sign of forced entry at his top-floor flat in smart Alderney Street, Pimlico.

But questions remain over why his body was not discovered earlier.

Friends described Mr Williams as an extremely bright, quiet and determined man who did not discuss his private life.

Childhood friend Dylan Parry, 34, said he was academically gifted but socially naive and could be easily-led.

Telegraph : Murdered British spy was last seen alive eight days before his body was found

Murdered British spy was last seen alive eight days before his body was found

August 28, 2010

Gareth Williams, the murdered British spy, was last seen alive eight days before his body was found stuffed in a holdall at his flat, it has emerged.

Detectives investigating the 30-year-old codebreaker's death say the last confirmed sighting of the MI6 worker was on August 15 in London.

They also say it could still be several days before they find out the exact cause of Mr Williams' death due to the complicated nature of the tests being carried out.

A post mortem examination undertaken earlier this week proved inconclusive and officers are still days away from determining if he was asphyxiated, poisoned or if drugs or alcohol were present in his system.

The inconclusive post-mortem has only served to deepen the mystery surrounding Mr Williams final hours.

The last confirmed sighting of Mr Williams, 30, was made on August 15 in London, officers said.

But police would not say whether the sighting was made on CCTV or came from another source.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "We can confirm that Mr Williams was in London from Wednesday August 11, and what officers believe is the last confirmed sighting of him still alive in London was on Sunday August 15."

Meanwhile Mr Williams' family have hit out at rumours that suggested the dead man was involved in risky sexual practices.

In a statement they said speculation linking the secret service employee to a male escort and bondage equipment had been "very distressing".

The mathematics genius, who was on secondment to MI6 from GCHQ, was found dead in a sports holdall in the bath of his Government flat on Monday.

As police continued to investigate whether the GCHQ codes expert lived a secret double life, his family paid tribute to the murdered spy.

They 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 inquiry."

Police turned their focus to Mr Williams' private life as they attempt to account for his death.

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.

Scotland Yard today played down reports that thousands of pounds had passed through Mr Williams' bank account shortly before his death as "pure speculation".

It was reported that three sums of £2,000 were paid into his account on consecutive days and then withdrawn on consecutive days.

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.

The 30-year-old was days from completing a one-year secondment to the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, in Vauxhall, London.

He was due to return to a rented flat in Cheltenham where Government Communications Headquarters, GCHQ, is based.

It is understood Mr Williams also worked for the United States National Security Agency and made regular trips to Washington DC and Fort Meade, near Baltimore.

Police have refused to categorise the death as a murder, despite the bizarre circumstances and say he may have died innocently.

They were considering whether he became the victim of a sex game that went wrong.

Officers are examining his mobile phone and financial records.

They suspect he may have known his killer as there was no sign of forced entry at his top-floor flat in smart Alderney Street, Pimlico.

But questions also remain over why his body was not discovered earlier.

Mirror : Intelligence expert Crispin Black says a spy’s life includes danger, hard graft and a dash of glamour

Intelligence expert Crispin Black says a spy’s life includes danger, hard graft and a dash of glamour

By Crispin Black | August 28, 2010

Discretion and the principle of “need to know” govern every aspect of an intelligence officer’s life.

They are allowed to reveal to their families their real job although this is a relatively recent concession.Selected close friends are also allowed to be in on the secret but only in the most generalised terms.

To the rest of the world spooks assume a false identity usually pretending to work for the Foreign Office or the Ministry of Defence.

Whatever the cover story it is well backed up. If a spook is pretending to work as a commercial attaché his or her name will appear in the Diplomatic List as just that.

There are three intelligence ­agencies. The first, MI6 or the Secret Intelligence Service, deals with acquiring intelligence abroad.

Usually, they operate from “stations” inside British embassies – speaking their own jargon. The senior spook is Head of Station or H.

Sir John Scarlett, who was at the centre of the controversies over the Iraq dossiers was famously “H Moscow”, smuggling a top defector out of Russia in the boot of an embassy car under the very noses of the very angry KGB.

After the invasion of Iraq Tony Blair promoted him to be Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service or C. Its biggest stations are now in Islamabad and Kabul, where conditions are tough. Elsewhere the James Bond lifestyle is still maintained.

The second agency, MI5 or the Security Service, is responsible for security at home. The job is more high-level complex police work than anything else. The most difficult and demanding aspects of the job are the surveillance operations mounted on unfolding terrorist plots.

If an intelligence officer is part of such a team he may not see friends and family for weeks on end and will subsist on coffee and takeaways.Things have improved slightly over the past few years as MI5 has developed regional stations with proper accommodation for its agents.

The third agency, GCHQ, are the listeners – direct descendants of the talented folk who broke codes at Bletchley Park in the Second World War. They have a hi-tech headquarters in Cheltenham known as the Doughnut because of its shape.

Tasked with breaking enemy codes and protecting our own electronic secrets they stare for long hours at computer screens trying to make sense of garbled conversations in foreign languages. They are serious and secretive people but they do let their hair down at Cheltenham Races, especially on Gold Cup Day.

Life in all three agencies is about detailed hard work. On every desk there are reminders of its importance. The most secret intelligence is contained in brightly coloured folders. As in nature, where the most dangerous animals are brightly coloured, the brighter the colour the more secret the intelligence. The ones for the Prime Minister and the Queen are bound in scarlet and gold.

In the dark hours all three agencies take comfort in the reflected glory from their fictional counterparts. James Bond was/is an MI6 agent. Traditionally every Bond film has a For Spooks Eyes Only premiere.

Film magnates and spies mingle at a cocktail party beforehand. In 1999 at the first showing of The World Is Not Enough the audience cheered as their Vauxhall Cross HQ was blown up. Senior management was apparently not amused.

MI5 are lucky enough to have the BBC TV hit Spooks which has done wonders for recruitment and morale. There was always a feeling before that they were in some way “poor relations” to their counterparts south of the river.

Their real Albert Embankment HQ is even more hi-tech and glossy than the BBC studio mock up. But officers tend to dress down in case they have to drop everything and hit the street on some urgent surveillance.

GCHQ has its own heroes from the past – principally the Bletchley Park geniuses who broke the secret German codes so vividly brought to life in the film Enigma.

But it is not all hard work. One of the most glamorous parts of being a spy is the visits to the US. MI5 go to FBI headquarters in downtown Washington and MI6 to the CIA base in Langley. No alcohol is served at Langley dinners – except when the British are in town.

The closest relationship is between GCHQ and the National Security Agency who have a formal arrangement splitting responsibility for the world. There is a constant stream of British visitors to its Fort Meade HQ in Maryland, known as the Puzzle Palace.

The world’s most powerful computers are there and the most brilliant mathematical minds. Gareth Williams visited often and would no doubt have been at home with his fellow maths whizz-kids.

The exchange of information is free and frank. He would have been privy to US as well as British secrets.

That is why the Americans are taking such a strong interest in his death.

The Australian : Slain spy Gareth Williams linked to bondage, male escort

Slain spy Gareth Williams linked to bondage, male escort

Staff writers | From: The Times | August 27, 2010

POLICE investigating the murder of a British spy found bondage equipment in his flat and evidence linking him to a male escort.

The find has raised questions over how Gareth Williams's private life slipped through the vetting procedures of the security services. Senior security personnel are said to be "extremely concerned" that an employee with high clearance had a lifestyle that put him in danger of being compromised.

A source close to the investigation said that evidence discovered in the London flat included bondage items, porn films and paraphernalia associated with sado-masochism. It is also understood that Mr Williams, who was on secondment to M16 from GCHQ, the Government's top secret listening post, has been linked to a male escort.

Detectives have focused their investigations on the private life of Mr Williams, 30, since he was found on Monday murdered and stuffed into a holdall in his flat in Pimlico, a short walk from M16 headquarters.

It also emerged that Mr Williams travelled regularly to the United States on official business, raising further concerns about potential national security breaches because of the information he had access to. He went to Washington several times a year, stayed for a few weeks each time and went shortly before he died.

Last night the National Security Agency refused to confirm or deny that Mr Williams, who is believed to be an expert in codes and ciphers, had worked for them. It is not unusual for members of the security services to spend time working for government security departments in America.

Jenny Elliott, the spy's former landlady in Cheltenham, said Mr Williams regularly travelled to America. "He would go to Washington about three times a year. It was always Washington. That was part of his job." She said that Mr Williams would usually combine the trip with a holiday.

Detectives from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command may have to wait for up to a week to find out how Mr Williams died. The initial postmortem examination proved inconclusive and several tests, thought to include toxicology tests, are now being conducted.

A picture of Mr Williams as a genius who led a solitary existence began to emerge yesterday. Friends described him as athletic, kind and intelligent, but above all extremely private. Dylan Parry, a schoolfriend, described him as academically gifted but socially naive. Mr Parry, 34, said Mr Williams was an isolated child fascinated by mathematics and computers.

The pair attended Uwchradd Bodedern secondary in Anglesey, where Mr Williams was "the kind of person who found it difficult to engage with people on a normal level".

"It was clear he was going to go far, but we all assumed he would end up in academia. Finding out he became a spy was a shock," Mr Parry said.

Geraint Williams, the spy's maths teacher at Bodedern, said he had "definitely the best brain" he had known. "If you explained something once to Gareth he remembered it. You didn't have to explain a second time. It all stuck there. It didn't surprise me at all that he was very interested in codes and ciphers and it didn't surprise me that he was recruited by GCHQ."

Online tributes mainly referred to his shy and quiet nature. One fellow Cambridge student, said: "He seemed a shy and quiet chap, but had a peculiarly memorable laugh and smile that are haunting me somewhat today. I knew that Gareth had gone on to work at Cheltenham but would never have imagined his life culminating in this."

Keith Thompson, of Holyhead Cycling Club, said he had known Mr Williams since he joined the club at the age of 17. "It's true that he was very quiet. He wasn't a great conversationalist. We were clubmates but Gareth wasn't the sort to go the pub after a race so he didn't have any close friends in the group. I never spoke to him about his job or his private life. Nobody did with Gareth. It was his cycling that we knew about. A couple of times he won the club's 'best all-rounder' award."

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.

The First Post : Bondage gear found at MI6 flat - but was it planted?

Bondage gear found at MI6 flat - but was it planted?
[or here]

‘Male escort evidence’ and porn said to have been found at murdered spy’s flat

By Jack Bremer | August 27, 2010

Police investigating the murder of the MI6 codebreaker Gareth Williams have discovered bondage equipment in his London flat, along with evidence linking him to a male escort, according to reports emerging overnight. The findings appear to support the theory that his private life rather than national security was the motive for his murder - unless the items were planted by his killer.

Assuming they were not planted, their discovery raises concerns among national security personnel - in London and Washington - that an MI6 employee enjoying high security clearance might have had a secret lifestyle that risked his being compromised.

The CIA and the Pentagon are reported to have come into the picture because Williams travelled regularly to the States, possibly on codebreaking jobs for the US National Security Agency at Fort Meade, Maryland. The US Defence Department has refused to confirm whether he ever worked for the agency.

As The First Post reported yesterday, Williams's body was found stuffed into a holdall, sitting in the bath of the Pimlico flat where he was living while working on secondment at the MI6 headquarters, a short walk away.

Early reports said escort agency numbers had been found on one of the many mobile phone SIM cards discovered in the flat. Now police have removed porn films, bondage items and "paraphernalia associated with sado-masochism", according to a source quoted by the Times, as well as the evidence linking him to a male escort.

While investigators attempt to discover whether or not these findings are a red herring, further press interviews with old friends and acquaintances paint a picture of a loner - a gifted mathematician who had few friends.

Dylan Parry, who attended secondary school with Williams in Anglesey, north Wales, said he was "the kind of person who found it difficult to engage with people on a normal level".

But Williams's family are adamant that he is not a homosexual. His uncle William Hughes said today that his parents were "very, very angry... It's not the picture they have of their son.

"Maybe it's the Government or somebody trying to discredit him."

Independent : Dead spy's family 'upset by private life claims'

Dead spy's family 'upset by private life claims'

By Mike Hornby and Chris Greenwood, PA | August 27, 2010

The family of a murdered British spy were in a "state of shock" today as lurid claims emerged about his private life.

Scotland Yard detectives continued to investigate whether GCHQ codes expert Gareth Williams, 30, lived a secretive double life.

The mathematics genius, who was on secondment to MI6, was found dead in a sports holdall in the bath of his Government flat on Monday.

Investigators have begun picking through his private life amid claims he has been linked to a male escort and bondage equipment was found in his home.

Sources close to the investigation suggested these latest claims are not true, raising questions about where they came from.

Relative William Hughes, 62, a councillor on Anglesey, said there is no evidence the allegations are correct.

Mr Hughes, a cousin of Mr Williams's 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 added that it is possible the Government, or other agency, may be trying to discredit Mr Williams.

Police focused their investigations on Mr Williams's private life after his decomposing body was discovered when colleagues raised the alarm.

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

He was due to return to a rented flat in Cheltenham where Government Communications Headquarters, GCHQ, is based.

It is understood Mr Williams also worked for the United States National Security Agency and made regular trips to Washington DC and Fort Meade, near Baltimore.

The mystery over his final hours deepened after a post-mortem examination failed to identify a cause of death.

Further tests will determine if the cycling fanatic was asphyxiated or poisoned, as well as 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.

Police refused to categorise the death as a murder, despite the bizarre circumstances, as they insist he may have died innocently.

One line of inquiry is that he is the victim of a sex game that went wrong and questions remain over why he was not discovered sooner.

Police believe Mr Williams's body could have lain undiscovered for up to a fortnight and are examining his mobile phone and financial records.

They suspect Mr Williams might have known his killer as there was no sign of forced entry at his top-floor flat in smart Alderney Street, Pimlico.

Friends described him as an extremely bright, quiet and determined man who did not discuss his private life.

Childhood friend Dylan Parry, 34, said Mr Williams was academically gifted but socially naive and could be easily-led.