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The body of the GCHQ worker, who was in his 30s, was found stuffed into a large sports bag that had been left in a bath. His mobile telephone and sim cards had been carefully laid out elsewhere in the flat. Scotland Yard began a murder inquiry after making the discovery at the flat in Pimlico, central London on Tuesday night. The dead man was understood to have been employed as a communications worker at GCHQ, the Government’s “listening post” in Cheltenham, Glos. But it is believed he may have been on secondment at the headquarters of MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service, in Vauxhall, just across the Thames from where his body was found. Police forced their way into the top-floor flat in a five-storey town house at 4.40pm on Monday. The street, where homes sell for more than £1 million, was cordoned off overnight while forensic experts examined the scene. A black private ambulance arrived at 9.30pm on Tuesday night to remove the body, which was badly decomposed, is understood to have lain undiscovered in the flat for some time. It has not yet been formally identified and sources said the man's parents are not in the country. Access to the street is being granted only to residents. A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “A police officer came to my house and asked if we had noticed anything suspicious in the last 10 days, so I think that the body has been there for a while. There have been forensic people in and out since yesterday.” The cause of death had not been disclosed. A post mortem will be carried today. No arrests have been made. A Met police spokesman said: “Officers were called to reports of a suspicious death at around 4.40pm yesterday. “They attended a top floor flat in Alderney Street and gained entry and found the body of a man in his 30s. He has yet to be identified.” Counter-terrorist and security service officers are helping detectives in the inquiry. The last spy to have been killed on British soil was Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian Federal Security Service officer, who died of polonium poisoning in November 2006.

British spy found murdered in London flat - Telegraph

£1m? Nice work if you can get it. *sour grapes face*

Also "The last spy to have been killed on British soil was Alexander Litvinenko" - I love how they're so sure about this.

Other mysteries: why put the body in a bag if you're just going to leave it in the bath? Sounds like a somewhat obsessive compulsive murderer.

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Originally Posted by Zichao

£1m? Nice work if you can get it. *sour grapes face*

Indeed. Seems to suggest he was moonlighting for parties other than MI6, doesn't it?

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Of course, the alternative is that they were going to come back later and get him, but were prevented for some reason... If so I guess that either they're out of the country now, or it was an accidental/spur of the moment thing. Or that they're dead themselves. Not necessarily murdered or anything, but anyone can get hit by a car or have a heart attack at an inconvenient moment. In that case it would also have had to be a personal affair rather than statesponsored shennaningans, or a replacement would have been found.

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Or, a more concise version courtesy of Popbitch:

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Spy? Check. Likes lycra? Check. Found dead in bag? Check. Bumsex murder.

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The man, named locally as Gareth Williams, is understood to have been employed as a communications worker at GCHQ, the Government’s “listening post” in Cheltenham, Glos. Mr Williams, who was in his thirties, was on secondment at the headquarters of MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service, in Vauxhall, just across the Thames from where his body was found. Brazilian man jailed for 21 years for murder of British teenager Cara BurkeHe had been due to return to Cheltenham to resume his position at GCHQ before he was murdered. The grim discovery was made after police were called to the top floor flat in Pimlico, Central London, following reports that the occupant had not been seen for some time. Mr Williams' mobile telephone and sim cards had been carefully laid out elsewhere in the flat. A keen cyclist and maths expert, Mr Williams would not even talk to his family about his true line of work. Before joining GCHQ he had studied for an MA in maths at Cambridge but had dropped out after failing an exam. The street of multimillion-pound Georgian terraced homes remained cordoned off this morning and police officers stood outside No 36, which is divided into three flats. Michael Howard, the former Conservative Party leader, is among a host of politicians and bankers who live on the street. Mr Williams rented a flat in Cheltenham from retired office worker Jenny Elliott, 71, for ten years until just over a year ago when he moved to London. He phoned Mrs Elliott in April to ask for his old room back after getting a transfer back to the town. "Gareth was a very likeable person who didn't really have any friends as such," Mrs Elliott said. "He was an extremely intelligent person but would not talk about his job as it was a secret, on account of working for GCHQ. All he told me was it was something to do with codes," she added. Neighbours in Pimlico also spoke of their shock. 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." Rob Mills, 35, who lives two doors away, said: "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." A Met police spokesman said: “Officers were called to reports of a suspicious death at around 4.40pm today. “They attended a top floor flat in Alderney Street and gained entry and found the body of a man in his 30s. He has yet to be identified.” Counter-terrorist and security service officers are helping detectives in the inquiry. The last spy to have been killed on British soil was Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian Federal Security Service officer, who died of polonium poisoning in November 2006.

Murdered British spy found stuffed into sports bag in bath of London flat - Telegraph

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Michael Howard, the former Conservative Party leader, is among a host of politicians and bankers who live on the street.

... Williams appears to have died of blood loss following a wound to the neck...

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this is a very mixed area of bankers and politicians

That counts as "very mixed" to this fruitcake?

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"Gareth was a very likeable person who didn't really have any friends as such,"

Eh?

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Originally Posted by Zichao

Of course, the alternative is that they were going to come back later and get him, but were prevented for some reason... If so I guess that either they're out of the country now, or it was an accidental/spur of the moment thing. Or that they're dead themselves. Not necessarily murdered or anything, but anyone can get hit by a car or have a heart attack at an inconvenient moment. In that case it would also have had to be a personal affair rather than statesponsored shennaningans, or a replacement would have been found.

I like this as a mystery plot. Kill someone, intend to go back and move the body/fix the scene to reflect a different event from the actual, and then wake up to find yourself in a hospital bed with limbs in multiple traction. As a John Doe because of course you wouldn't be carrying your proper ID if you were engaging in deliberate mayhem.

It could still be state sponsored if the state handlers in question were waiting for him to break silence and report the hit as a fait accompli.

GCHQ workers really qualify as spies even if they never really leave the Doughnut?

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I doubt any of them are actually called spies on the payroll list (ours aren't), but it's quicker and looks more interesting in a newspaper than saying sigint operative or whatever his actual job title was.

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Not that anyone working for western intelligence agencies look like a "spy" to me.

The closest thing we seem to have is what the french call, I believe, "officier traitant" - i.e. the guys who are talking, briefing and de-briefing the traitors/collaborators from the other side.

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