'British spy' found dead in bath

Moderators: Elvis, DrVolin, Jeff

'British spy' found dead in bath

Postby Jeff » Wed Aug 25, 2010 12:58 am

'British spy' found dead in bath

The man, believed to have been working for MI6, had been missing for 10 days

Helen Pidd
The Guardian, Wednesday 25 August 2010


Police were last night investigating the murder of a man whose body was found stuffed in a sports bag in the bath of his London flat.

The man, who was in his early 30s, is believed to have worked for the government's intelligence agencies. An unconfirmed report suggested he had worked at GCHQ, the government's secret listening service, and had been on secondment to MI6, the secret intelligence service, when he disappeared up to 10 days ago.

Police found his body on Monday afternoon when they were called to his flat in Pimlico following reports that he had not been seen for some time. Inside the property, officers found the man's mobile phone and collection of sim cards laid out, the Daily Mail reported.

The five storey townhouse is just a mile from MI6 headquarters, fuelling speculation that the man was working there before his death. But a police source stressed that he had not been formally identified, and that while the man's employment documentation suggested he had indeed worked for the secret service, "he might have been an air conditioning technician rather than a spy".

"If he really was a spy, you imagine someone would have reported him missing rather sooner," the source added.

Last night Scotland Yard launched a murder inquiry, with the homicide and serious crime command working in conjunction with counterterrorist and security service officials.

The street remained cordoned off as forensic teams searched the property and surrounding areas for clues as to how and why the man was killed.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan police said: "Detectives are investigating a suspicious death following the discovery of the body of a man in a central London flat. At around 1640hrs on Monday 23 August, officers attended the flat on the top floor of a property in Alderney Street, Westminster, following reports that the occupant had not been seen for some time.

"Officers gained entry and found the body of the man, believed to be aged in his 30s. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers are yet to identify the deceased."

A postmortem examination will be held this morning.

No arrests have been made.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/au ... ad-in-bath
User avatar
Jeff
Site Admin
 
Posts: 11134
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2000 8:01 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: 'British spy' found dead in bath

Postby barracuda » Wed Aug 25, 2010 1:17 am

That's a big sports bag.
The most dangerous traps are the ones you set for yourself. - Phillip Marlowe
User avatar
barracuda
 
Posts: 12890
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 5:58 pm
Location: Niles, California
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: 'British spy' found dead in bath

Postby Stephen Morgan » Wed Aug 25, 2010 7:47 am

Police found his body on Monday afternoon when they were called to his flat in Pimlico following reports that he had not been seen for some time. Inside the property, officers found the man's mobile phone and collection of sim cards laid out, the Daily Mail reported.


I wonder what was on those sim cards. Plural, I notice.

The five storey townhouse is just a mile from MI6 headquarters, fuelling speculation that the man was working there before his death. But a police source stressed that he had not been formally identified, and that while the man's employment documentation suggested he had indeed worked for the secret service, "he might have been an air conditioning technician rather than a spy".


One of those air conditioner technicians with loads a of sim cards and a five storey "townhouse" in the middle of London. Incidentally, that wouldn't be affordable on any security service salary. Unless he was stealing, involved in something like selling drugs or child pornography, born into money or had been selling information.

"If he really was a spy, you imagine someone would have reported him missing rather sooner," the source added.


Not if they already knew he wouldn't be coming into work. If, for example, he was assumed to be doing spy stuff out of the office, or if they'd killed him for skimming from a criminal fund they'd established, etc..

The street remained cordoned off as forensic teams searched the property and surrounding areas for clues as to how and why the man was killed.


No cause of death established yet, then. Bit odd.
Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that all was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, and make it possible. -- Lawrence of Arabia
User avatar
Stephen Morgan
 
Posts: 3736
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2007 6:37 am
Location: England
Blog: View Blog (9)

Re: 'British spy' found dead in bath

Postby stefano » Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:01 am

Stephen Morgan wrote:a five storey "townhouse" in the middle of London. Incidentally, that wouldn't be affordable on any security service salary.
It was a flat on the top floor of the building, as I understood.
User avatar
stefano
 
Posts: 2672
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2008 1:50 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: 'British spy' found dead in bath

Postby Fixx » Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:20 am

stefano wrote:
Stephen Morgan wrote:a five storey "townhouse" in the middle of London. Incidentally, that wouldn't be affordable on any security service salary.
It was a flat on the top floor of the building, as I understood.


Still looking in excess of £400,000 I reckon just for a one bedroomed flat in that area.
Fixx
 
Posts: 190
Joined: Wed Nov 08, 2006 7:04 am
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: 'British spy' found dead in bath

Postby AhabsOtherLeg » Wed Aug 25, 2010 10:06 am

Stephen Morgan wrote:
Police found his body on Monday afternoon when they were called to his flat in Pimlico following reports that he had not been seen for some time. Inside the property, officers found the man's mobile phone and collection of sim cards laid out, the Daily Mail reported.


I wonder what was on those sim cards. Plural, I notice.


It speaks towards the idea that he was a spy rather than "an air conditioning technician." Sounds like he must've been a field operative too. Probably had to change sim cards regularly as part of the job, the same way anyone with a serious ulterior life has to.

Fixx and Stephen are right. Property prices in Central London are ridiculous. Even a little appartment at the
upper-arse-end of some anonymous Georgian townhouse would be way above the pay-grade of any "spy", and just about any civil servant (including most of the Cabinet, if it weren't for their extracurricular earnings).

Hence the MPs expenses scandal, and the astronomical sums that the worst of them were claiming for their Central London accomodation - up to £600,000 a year some of them were getting in expenses, for flats they'd never seen the inside of, or that they'd sub-let to others.

Stephen Morgan wrote:One of those air conditioner technicians with loads a of sim cards and a five storey "townhouse" in the middle of London. Incidentally, that wouldn't be affordable on any security service salary. Unless he was stealing, involved in something like selling drugs or child pornography, born into money or had been selling information.


Behave yourself. An agent of the British State, dealing in child pornography? Never! ...Course, it wasn't long ago that most people would've denied the possibility of them dealing drugs as well. And there is the recent high-profile example of Daniel Houghton from MI6 trying to sell information because he was "directed by voices" : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... -scam.html

I reckon he'd fit in a sports bag, the silly little thing. If disassembled.

Still, I think we need to hear more before we say that the Man In The Sports Bag was a paedo porn dealer. The mu;tiple sim cards is common for any kind of criminal with sense.

Stephen Morgan wrote:
The street remained cordoned off as forensic teams searched the property and surrounding areas for clues as to how and why the man was killed.


The why is the thing we'll probably never hear about, though I foresee a story about this young, junior, inexperienced, gay, bisexual,GCHQ/MI6 agent unwisely taking some rough trade home with him, and being the victim of an opportunistic murder. That's how it's supposed to go, isn't it?

I'm guessing the how involves dismemberment. That way the sports bag doesn't have to be especially big.

If things keep going as they are in the UK, though, the coroner will probably find that he dismembered himself, then put himself in the bag, then bunny-hopped into the bath, and zipped it up behind himself.

Sorry this is so long.
"The universe is 40 billion light years across and every inch of it would kill you if you went there. That is the position of the universe with regard to human life."
User avatar
AhabsOtherLeg
 
Posts: 3285
Joined: Sun Dec 30, 2007 8:43 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: 'British spy' found dead in bath

Postby semper occultus » Wed Aug 25, 2010 11:45 am

the SIM cards weren;t just "laid out" per the Mail but

...in a bizarre ritualistic scene - his mobile telephone and a collection of SIM cards were carefully laid out.


also that he was "on secondment" from GCHQ to "6" - implying that he was probably being put-up in a "company flat" or they were at least picking-up the tab.
User avatar
semper occultus
 
Posts: 2974
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2006 2:01 pm
Location: London,England
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: 'British spy' found dead in bath

Postby tron » Wed Aug 25, 2010 1:18 pm

initial reports indicate textbook suicide
User avatar
tron
 
Posts: 507
Joined: Fri Dec 08, 2006 6:34 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: 'British spy' found dead in bath

Postby AhabsOtherLeg » Wed Aug 25, 2010 2:26 pm

tron wrote:initial reports indicate textbook suicide


Not sure if it's okay to laugh. I feel the impulse, and I feel bad. Them special coroners tend to get around, though, eh?

Like my mum said : "If you were going to make a murder look like a suicide, it would be textbook, wouldn't it?"

Of course it would. In this case, though, I think they're going for a different angle...

The police are understood to be looking into details of Mr Williams's personal life.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said a post-mortem examination would take place later to determine the cause and time of death.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11084086


Here's the man himself:

Image
"The universe is 40 billion light years across and every inch of it would kill you if you went there. That is the position of the universe with regard to human life."
User avatar
AhabsOtherLeg
 
Posts: 3285
Joined: Sun Dec 30, 2007 8:43 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: 'British spy' found dead in bath

Postby Seamus OBlimey » Wed Aug 25, 2010 4:20 pm

AhabsOtherLeg wrote:Not sure if it's okay to laugh.


It's always OK to laugh and don't let anyone tell you different. You saw the fun in tron's post and I'd logged in to say the same though mine was "official verdict - suicide" esp considering the rumours of dismemberment.. what next? Ian Tomlinson - Suicide by cop? Stephen Lawrence - Justifiable Homicide?

AhabsOtherLeg wrote:Here's the man himself:

Image


Do you think he looks jewish?
User avatar
Seamus OBlimey
 
Posts: 3154
Joined: Wed Jun 14, 2006 4:14 pm
Location: Gods own country
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: 'British spy' found dead in bath

Postby Jeff » Wed Aug 25, 2010 4:29 pm

From the BBC link:

Asked about Mr Williams's career, his uncle called his nephew "very, very talented in his work".

He added: "We don't know what he was doing - never spoke about it."

The police are understood to be looking into details of Mr Williams's personal life.


I think that's usually code for, No mystery here, the guy was gay.
User avatar
Jeff
Site Admin
 
Posts: 11134
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2000 8:01 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: 'British spy' found dead in bath

Postby Nordic » Wed Aug 25, 2010 4:32 pm

Image


Image


I'm gonna write him a speeding ticket.
"He who wounds the ecosphere literally wounds God" -- Philip K. Dick
Nordic
 
Posts: 14230
Joined: Fri Nov 10, 2006 3:36 am
Location: California USA
Blog: View Blog (6)

Re: 'British spy' found dead in bath

Postby justdrew » Wed Aug 25, 2010 4:44 pm

Jeff wrote:From the BBC link:

Asked about Mr Williams's career, his uncle called his nephew "very, very talented in his work".

He added: "We don't know what he was doing - never spoke about it."

The police are understood to be looking into details of Mr Williams's personal life.


I think that's usually code for, No mystery here, the guy was gay.


or a tory pol.

but yeah, let's be nice, they're saying he was in that bag for two weeks now. doesn't his discovery sync up with the recent uvb76 activity?
By 1964 there were 1.5 million mobile phone users in the US
User avatar
justdrew
 
Posts: 11966
Joined: Tue May 24, 2005 7:57 pm
Location: unknown
Blog: View Blog (11)

Re: 'British spy' found dead in bath

Postby AhabsOtherLeg » Wed Aug 25, 2010 5:05 pm

Seamus OBlimey wrote:
AhabsOtherLeg wrote:Here's the man himself:

Image


Do you think he looks jewish?



I just spat half a drink upwards and backwards into my own face. And then i saw Nordic's gaydar thing, and I half-swallowed, half-sprayed the rest of it. I'm fuckin drenched in booze here, and weeping also... because of my deep respect for those who have passed. No more jokes, please. I wouldn't want the Met looking into my private life next fucking month.
"The universe is 40 billion light years across and every inch of it would kill you if you went there. That is the position of the universe with regard to human life."
User avatar
AhabsOtherLeg
 
Posts: 3285
Joined: Sun Dec 30, 2007 8:43 pm
Blog: View Blog (0)

Re: 'British spy' found dead in bath

Postby wordspeak2 » Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:32 pm

What was the uvb76 activity? I heard something about that.
wordspeak2
 
Posts: 1209
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:20 pm
Location: Massachusetts
Blog: View Blog (0)

Next

Return to General Discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 56 guests