Gareth Williams GCHQ cryptographer murdered by professionals

[fish5133]

Used to listen to this bernard hogan howe when he was top brass here in Liverpool. He was often on Radio Merseyside and came across as a decent no nonsense bobby who had come up through the ranks.Which was fine when dealing with gangsters but he will probably come up against the ptb in this case. Will be interesting if he dares speak out when he gets the little voices in his ear or has a shot across his bows.

[Whitehall_Bin_Men]

'Spy in a holdall' Gareth Williams' family forced 2 endure more derisory Met police lies about his 'suspect free' murder
http://t.co/UJI3bLyspm

[Whitehall_Bin_Men]

A few years ago #GCHQ #HP cryptographer Stefek Zaba also died in suspicious circumstances. Is someone killing British cryptographers?
http://caroslines.blogspot.co.uk/2007/03/stefek-zaba.html

[Whitehall_Bin_Men]

Gareth's padlock was fixed to Gareth's bag with Gareth inside
His padlock had no prints on
Not even his own
Clear evidence that crime scene was forensically cleaned by the assassin or his/her accomplices
Obviously a professional 'wet job' probably by a 'friendly' intelligence agency such as CIA or Mossad hence the orders to Met police to cover this up
Disgraceful how diabolically low the UK 'justice' has sunk

Crystal clear message to all GCHQ & MI6 staff though
NO INDEPENDENT THOUGHT!
THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU!

[TonyGosling]

1. Why did MI6 fail to raise the alarm about his disappearance for more than a week? Gareth failed to turn up for work on August 16. Police were not alerted by colleagues until Monday August 23. When turned up to check at his flat they found his body. Gareth's family have hit out at MI6 claiming they failed to make "basic inquiries concerning Gareth's welfare".
2. What was Gareth doing for the intelligence services? The 31-year-old was considered a maths genius - having gained O levels aged ten before graduating from university seven years later. He had been working for GCHQ in Cheltenham since 2001 but had been seconded to MI6 shortly before his death. However, according to his family, Gareth did not enjoy London and was about to be moved back to Cheltenham when he died.
3. How did his body come to be in a bag padlocked from the outside? Despite asserting that Gareth died as a result of an accident - police have been able to satisfactorily explain how he was able to lock himself inside the holdall. Some reports suggested that an escapologist of similar build was able to get in the bag and lock it from the inside, but these have since been dismissed.
4. Why were there no fingerprints around the bath? If Gareth got into the bag voluntarily, it begs the question why no fingerprints were found in the immediate area. Some reports have suggested the scene had been "deep cleaned" to destroy any possible forensic evidence, but police have dismissed this possibility.
5. What is the truth of Gareth's personal life? The spy's family and friends had known him to be a cyclist, fitness enthusiast and private individual. But during the investigation, another side of Gareth's personality emerged which shocked and surprised them. Around £20,000 of women's clothing and shoes were found in his flat. However, most were left untouched and an inquest found no evidence to suggest he was a cross-dresser. There was also evidence Gareth had visited bondage and festish sites - but again, this was infrequent and a coroner did not consider it significant in his death.
6. Was someone trying to smear Gareth? For a period of time, stories frequently appeared, attributed to unnamed sources, which pushed the theory that Gareth was gay, interested in S&M and may have been murdered by a gay lover. Such assertions were angrily denied by both police and his family - were they prompted by genuine evidence or was it an attempt to cover-up the real story behind his death?
7. Why was one of Gareth's phones returned to a factory setting before he died? The coroner was particularly concerned by this piece of evidence. When police first entered Gareth's flat, two iPhones, some sim cards and an Apple notebook were laid out neatly on the table.
8. Why was the heating left on? When officer's found Gareth's body, the contorted position of his arms and legs led them to believe they had been chopped up. The heating was also on, which increased the speed of decomposition giving investigators very little clue as to his true cause of death.
9. Why was his front door locked from the outside? This is regarded as further proof that someone else was certainly present when Gareth died.
10. Why did the Met's Counter Terrorism officers fail to tell the inquest about nine memory sticks found at his SIS office? This led the coroner to conclude that the involvement of SIS colleague's in Gareth's death was a legitimate line of enquiry.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/spy-gareth-wyn-williams-10-278793 9

[fish5133]

No dna on side of bath, no palm or finger prints. Turns out now he had an interest in escapology.

[TonyGosling]

Randeep Ramesh @tianran 13 Nov
Disliked the office culture, post-work drinks, flash car competitions. But locked himself in bag to suffocate and die?
http://t.co/BOmMzg4fN8
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/10445222/Police-s et-to-rule-out-foul-play-in-spy-in-a-bag-mystery.html
http://twitter.com/tianran/status/400597192131366912
Despite an intensive police investigation, no one has been arrested and the circumstances surrounding his death have remained a mystery.
Following an eight-day inquest last year, coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox concluded that Mr Williams was probably "unlawfully killed" in a criminal act after experts found it impossible to climb in to a bag by themselves.
She said his death most likely involved a third party and he was either poisoned or suffocated.

[fish5133]

The youtube version of the same video states a yoga expert tried 300 times unsuccessfully to lock himself inside the bag. Key for padlock was also found inside the bag.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nAPOTZr7o8


Some padlocks you dont need a key to lock them as they snap shut. No point in having a key with you inside the bag. Most padlocks come with 2 keys anyway.

Why in the bath?

[scienceplease 2]

[TonyGosling]

Good analysis SP
Did the Met look for Gareth or the wet job team's DNA in the bath's water trap I wonder?

Here's the despicable audio recording of Deputy Asst Commissioner For Specialist Crimes And Operations Martin Hewitt

[Whitehall_Bin_Men]

More planted story pain for the family
More evidence that a 'friendly' intelligence service killed him
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/former-kgb-agent-boris-karpichkov -2800352

[scienceplease 2]

[Whitehall_Bin_Men]

In the real world there is no doubt
In the official statements of the crooked Metropolitan Police you will find hardly a shred of truth
An article by Tom Harper last week described it thus, from a police insider

A police source familiar with the case said: “This news will cause utter chaos inside the Met. You can’t mess about with murder – it is the most serious offence on the books. There has been a massive cover-up to protect the reputation of the police and the family have been misled.
“The Met claims other damaging cases like the murders of Stephen Lawrence and Daniel Morgan were all such a long time ago. Well, this prosecution collapsed in 2014 and the full reasons were suppressed.
“I am afraid there is a cancer at the heart of Scotland Yard that has never, ever been dealt with."
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/exclusive-major-murder-case -collapses-in-new-police-corruption-scandal-9553023.html

[Whitehall_Bin_Men]

Spy found dead in a bag 'had infuriated his MI6 bosses by illegally hacking into secret US data on Bill Clinton'

By Jenny Stanton For Mailonline
11:49 30 Aug 2015, updated 14:56 30 Aug 2015

Gareth Williams's body was found in a bag at his London flat five years ago
Spy illegally hacked into secret data on former U.S. president Bill Clinton
Personal voicemail messages left by the spy were deleted after he died
The British spy whose body was found padlocked inside a bag in his flat had illegally hacked into secret data on former U.S. president Bill Clinton, it has been revealed.

Gareth Williams, 31, was discovered in a holdall in the bath at his London home five years ago this month, but the mystery surrounding his death has never been solved.

Today, it has been revealed the spy had dug out a guest list for an event Clinton was due to attend as a favour for a friend.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3215890/Spy-dead-bag-infuriate d-MI6-bosses-illegally-hacking-secret-data-Bill-Clinton.html

Agents 'killed the body-in-bag spy... then got into his flat through skylight to destroy evidence': New theory could solve the mystery five years later
Bill Clinton leaves Bill Murray starstruck as it's revealed Hillary blocked him from giving speeches in North Korea and the Congo
The hack breached Mr Williams' security clearance and this sparked anger among MI6 bosses as tensions rose with U.S. security services over the spy's transatlantic work, The Sun on Sunday has reported.

A source said: 'The Clinton diary hack came at a time when Williams' work with America was of the most sensitive nature.

'It was a diplomatic nightmare for Sir John Sawers, the new director of MI6 at the time.'

The paper has also reported that voicemail messages Mr Williams, a maths genius and expert cryptographer, left for family and friends were deleted shortly after his death.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that detectives who investigated the mysterious death believe he was murdered and that his killers then broke back in through a skylight to cover their tracks.

The claim centres on the revelation that part of the forensic equipment placed in the flat after the body was found was moved – despite the fact the building was under armed police guard.

The theory supports his family’s suspicions he was murdered by ‘agents specialising in the dark arts of the secret services’.

During Mr Williams' inquest, a yoga expert failed to lock himself inside an identical bag without any outside assistance +7
During Mr Williams' inquest, a yoga expert failed to lock himself inside an identical bag without any outside assistance
THEORIES SURROUNDING SPY GARETH WILLIAMS' DEATH

The Russian mafia assassinated him in a bid to stop him investigating money-laundering networks.
He was killed by MI6 or American agents after stumbling on sensitive data, or because he threatened to make secret intelligence public.
Mr Williams was killed by a lover during a bizarre sex game. It has been claimed he had close links with London's drag and bondage scenes.
The spy locked himself in the bag and no one else was involved.
He was poisoned.
Agents killed Mr Williams then got into his flat through a skylight to destroy evidence.
Mr Williams had been working with the American National Security Agency in Washington before returning to London, where he underwent training and was sent on active operations.

The exact nature of his work remains a closely guarded secret, but sources claim he dealt with equipment that tracked the flow of cash from Russia to Europe.

The technology enabled MI6 to follow money trails from bank accounts in Russia to criminal European gangs. One theory is that Mr Williams had disrupted a mafia ring closely linked to the Russian state.

Cars registered to the Russian Embassy were spotted near his Pimlico flat just days before his body was discovered on August 23, 2010.

Mr Williams was last seen alive on August 15 – a Kremlin car was seen near his property that day.

Other lines of inquiry, also dismissed by the Metropolitan Police at the time, were that he was killed by MI6 or American agents after stumbling on sensitive data, or because he threatened to make secret intelligence public.

There were also claims Mr Williams may have been killed by a lover during a bizarre sex game.

Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox, who heard the 2012 inquest into his death, criticised MI6 for failing to report that the spy had been missing for a week, saying this caused extra suffering for his family and led to the loss of forensic evidence.

The delay, for which MI6 apologised, also meant a Home Office pathologist was unable to find a cause of death.

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Former Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton was the most senior officer on the scene when he arrived at Mr Williams' flat in Pimlico on August 23, 2010 +7
Former Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton was the most senior officer on the scene when he arrived at Mr Williams' flat in Pimlico on August 23, 2010
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Spy found dead in a bag 'had infuriated his MI6 bosses by illegally hacking into secret US data on Bill Clinton'

By Jenny Stanton For Mailonline
11:49 30 Aug 2015, updated 14:56 30 Aug 2015
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Gareth Williams's body was found in a bag at his London flat five years ago
Spy illegally hacked into secret data on former U.S. president Bill Clinton
Personal voicemail messages left by the spy were deleted after he died
The British spy whose body was found padlocked inside a bag in his flat had illegally hacked into secret data on former U.S. president Bill Clinton, it has been revealed.

Gareth Williams, 31, was discovered in a holdall in the bath at his London home five years ago this month, but the mystery surrounding his death has never been solved.

Today, it has been revealed the spy had dug out a guest list for an event Clinton was due to attend as a favour for a friend.

Scroll down for video

Bill Clinton +7
Bill Clinton
Spy Gareth Williams (pictured) had illegally hacked into secret on former U.S. president Bill Clinton +7
Spy Gareth Williams (pictured) had illegally hacked into secret on former U.S. president Bill Clinton
MORE...
Agents 'killed the body-in-bag spy... then got into his flat through skylight to destroy evidence': New theory could solve the mystery five years later
Bill Clinton leaves Bill Murray starstruck as it's revealed Hillary blocked him from giving speeches in North Korea and the Congo
The hack breached Mr Williams' security clearance and this sparked anger among MI6 bosses as tensions rose with U.S. security services over the spy's transatlantic work, The Sun on Sunday has reported.

A source said: 'The Clinton diary hack came at a time when Williams' work with America was of the most sensitive nature.

'It was a diplomatic nightmare for Sir John Sawers, the new director of MI6 at the time.'

The paper has also reported that voicemail messages Mr Williams, a maths genius and expert cryptographer, left for family and friends were deleted shortly after his death.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that detectives who investigated the mysterious death believe he was murdered and that his killers then broke back in through a skylight to cover their tracks.

The claim centres on the revelation that part of the forensic equipment placed in the flat after the body was found was moved – despite the fact the building was under armed police guard.

The theory supports his family’s suspicions he was murdered by ‘agents specialising in the dark arts of the secret services’.

During Mr Williams' inquest, a yoga expert failed to lock himself inside an identical bag without any outside assistance +7
During Mr Williams' inquest, a yoga expert failed to lock himself inside an identical bag without any outside assistance
THEORIES SURROUNDING SPY GARETH WILLIAMS' DEATH

The Russian mafia assassinated him in a bid to stop him investigating money-laundering networks.
He was killed by MI6 or American agents after stumbling on sensitive data, or because he threatened to make secret intelligence public.
Mr Williams was killed by a lover during a bizarre sex game. It has been claimed he had close links with London's drag and bondage scenes.
The spy locked himself in the bag and no one else was involved.
He was poisoned.
Agents killed Mr Williams then got into his flat through a skylight to destroy evidence.
Mr Williams had been working with the American National Security Agency in Washington before returning to London, where he underwent training and was sent on active operations.

The exact nature of his work remains a closely guarded secret, but sources claim he dealt with equipment that tracked the flow of cash from Russia to Europe.

The technology enabled MI6 to follow money trails from bank accounts in Russia to criminal European gangs. One theory is that Mr Williams had disrupted a mafia ring closely linked to the Russian state.

Cars registered to the Russian Embassy were spotted near his Pimlico flat just days before his body was discovered on August 23, 2010.

Mr Williams was last seen alive on August 15 – a Kremlin car was seen near his property that day.

Other lines of inquiry, also dismissed by the Metropolitan Police at the time, were that he was killed by MI6 or American agents after stumbling on sensitive data, or because he threatened to make secret intelligence public.

There were also claims Mr Williams may have been killed by a lover during a bizarre sex game.

Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox, who heard the 2012 inquest into his death, criticised MI6 for failing to report that the spy had been missing for a week, saying this caused extra suffering for his family and led to the loss of forensic evidence.

The delay, for which MI6 apologised, also meant a Home Office pathologist was unable to find a cause of death.


Former Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton was the most senior officer on the scene when he arrived at Mr Williams' flat in Pimlico on August 23, 2010

Dr Wilcox concluded that Mr Williams’s death was ‘unnatural and likely to have been criminally mediated’.

She said she was satisfied ‘on the balance of probabilities that Gareth was killed unlawfully’, as it was likely someone else had put his body in the bag and locked it.

But a year later, Scotland Yard ended a review of the investigation, saying it was more likely Williams had locked himself in the bag and that no one else was involved.

This is despite there being no traces of Mr Williams' own DNA on the padlock of the bag he was found in. His palm prints were not found on the bathtub which held the bag.

Another theory was that Mr William's was poisoned. Former Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton was the most senior officer on the scene when he arrived at Mr Williams' flat in Pimlico on August 23, 2010.

He thought the flat was unusually warm when he arrived, claiming the heating was turned up to its maximum setting, possibly to assist with decomposition.

He said: 'If he had been poisoned, then the chemical compounds might have vanished by the time toxicology results were conducted.'
Dr Wilcox concluded that Mr Williams’s death was ‘unnatural and likely to have been criminally mediated’.

She said she was satisfied ‘on the balance of probabilities that Gareth was killed unlawfully’, as it was likely someone else had put his body in the bag and locked it.

But a year later, Scotland Yard ended a review of the investigation, saying it was more likely Williams had locked himself in the bag and that no one else was involved.

This is despite there being no traces of Mr Williams' own DNA on the padlock of the bag he was found in. His palm prints were not found on the bathtub which held the bag.

Another theory was that Mr William's was poisoned. Former Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton was the most senior officer on the scene when he arrived at Mr Williams' flat in Pimlico on August 23, 2010.

He thought the flat was unusually warm when he arrived, claiming the heating was turned up to its maximum setting, possibly to assist with decomposition.

He said: 'If he had been poisoned, then the chemical compounds might have vanished by the time toxicology results were conducted.'

[fish5133]

what would be the motive for murdering him.?

out of spite? I doubt it

to send a" message" to someone or others? possibly

fear he had other incriminating evidence? possibly

to stop him doing it again for GCHQ or other countries? maybe.

.Thought for the poor parents still wondering and not going to be told the truth.

[fish5133]

Not too sure about this --would Williams be the only one in MI5/6 to know spy identity? I doubt it.

[Whitehall_Bin_Men]

Horrific (lies) in today's Mirror/People with no consideration whatever to their effect on Gareth's family
Russia 'has spy in GCHQ and body-in-bag MI6 victim Gareth Williams was killed to protect their identity' http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/russia-has-spy-gchq-body-6522576
And this may be why. Can't let the truth get its boots on when you're counting on the press to back you in the up and coming war with Russia

GCHQ codebreaker Gareth Williams was 'murdered', believes author and MI6 operative Frederick Forsyth
Gareth Williams was found dead in his flat in 2010
last Friday at 11:26 AM By Gloucestershire Echo
Internationally best-selling author and former MI6 operative Frederick Forsyth has revealed that he believes former GCHQ worker Gareth Williams' death was 'clearly murder'.
The author, famous for thrillers including The Day of The Jackal, The Odessa Files and Dogs of War, spoke to the Gloucestershire Echo's GL magazine in an exclusive interview ahead of his appearance at Cheltenham Literature Festival next Friday.
The death of Gareth Williams divided opinion after conflicting conclusions were drawn by the coroner and Scotland Yard.
The naked body of the 31-year-old codes and ciphers expert was found in a padlocked holdall in the bath of his top-floor flat in Pimlico, central London, on August, 23, 2010.
Agreeing that the unresolved case bore similarities to a fictional plot, Frederick Forsyth said: "It might have been, because obviously it was weird, and inexplicable, and I don't think we ever got to the bottom of it properly and we never will now.
"And occasionally murders, and it was clearly murder I think, but there are murders of course that are never ever solved and this may well be one."
Gareth, who was on secondment to MI6 from GCHQ, was due to return to Cheltenham the week after he died.
A coroner concluded that Williams was probably unlawfully killed and his death the result of a criminal act following an eight-day inquest in 2012,
Westminster coroner, Dr Fiona Wilcox, said he was probably either suffocated or poisoned, before a third party locked and placed the bag in the bath.
But Scotland Yard's three-year inquiry concluding in 2013 stated that Williams was 'most probably' alone when he died.
The author and former journalist also spoke about his recent admission that he was an agent for the Secret Intelligence Service, or MI6, in the past.
"Well, it's called asset or agent but really it's errand runner. I just ran a few errands, that's all."
The author will make a rare appearance at Cheltenham Literature Festival on Friday, October 2. Read the full interview in this weekend's new GL magazine, free exclusively with the Gloucestershire Echo and Gloucester Citizen.
http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/GCHQ-codebreaker-Garath-Williams- murdered/story-27867367-detail/story.html

[Whitehall_Bin_Men]

GARETH WILLIAMS: MURDERED TWICE? (Part 1 of 2)
Larry O'Hara
http://www.borderland.co.uk/component/k2/item/13-death-of-gareth-willi ams-mi6-gchq-extract-from-nfb-10.html

On 23/8/10 the naked body of Gareth Williams, a 31 year-old Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) worker, seconded from Cheltenham to MI6 was found, inside a holdall placed in a bath at his home. The door of flat 4 36 Alderney Street Pimlico was locked from the outside, and despite three post-mortems and police appeals for help, exactly how and why he died remains unclear. On current evidence, and in the view of the coroner, it was almost certainly murder--and Williams’ reputation has certainly taken a hit, with an abundance of lurid and fantastical stories about his life and death still swirling in the media ether. Hence the title: murdered in reality and memory. NFB has taken a keen interest from the start.

At time of writing the inquest has just concluded, coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox declaring that “on the balance of probability Gareth was unlawfully killed“. The inquest itself was startling, not least because new facts came out that even DCI Sebire, in charge of the investigation, had not known earlier. Six aspects are covered in this first article, which chronologically focusses on what happened before the inquest.

(1) Who was Gareth Williams? How important was his work for GCHQ & MI6?

(2) What are the broadly accepted facts of both denouement and resultant investigation? A time-line is useful: as is discernment. In that regard some contested but relevant snippets are included.

(3) Scanning the extensive news coverage, in light of NFB’s basic paradigm of the media as a battleground on which vicious inter-agency turf wars take place. The principal conflict here is the Metropolitan Police (Homicide Squad) versus MI6. I sketch out the phases (to date) in this 'disinformation war'.

(4) Supplementing the previous point, an exploration, via output analysis, of the journalistic spook outriders reporting events, providing dates & references. With the exception of Times/Sunday Times/News of the World journalists whose oeuvre is only available in hard copy or by 'pay to view', most articles specified can be obtained on two excellent sites. The first is devoted specifically to the Gareth Williams case: http://tswktm.blogspot.com. The second has most relevant items (if you search) plus other articles by featured journalists placing their work in context--http://journalisted.com/. As it happens, the sheer profusion of journalistic output has precipitated me to refine and further codify the various types of SPIJ (State-compromised Pseudo-Investigative Journalism). That research will be placed on the NFB web-site in due course.

(5) Having (hopefully) put 'official conspiracy theorists' to the sword, I look at unofficial conspiracy theorists, just as pernicious in spreading disinformation, and at times equally ludicrous.

(6) Some journalists have acquitted themselves honourably, and other commentators raised useful points: all are analysed and given due credit.

Part Two, in NFB11, will cover:

(6) The inquest. In particular we will look at what contradicts and illuminates the earlier narrative. Not just media stories, but inter-agency friction, especially the role of SO15 (anti-terrorist squad) as a lightning rod protecting MI6.

(7) Reasoned conjecture as to the possible involvement of domestic and overseas secret state agencies.

( A reprise/summary of suspicious aspects to this case: disinformation peddled, facts/lines of inquiry glossed over, agendas pursued. Sifting should highlight the questions to be answered, and who exactly needs to answer them. This will hopefully help his family and other interested parties achieve ‘closure’.

WHY GARETH WILLIAMS IS IMPORTANT

Detailed biographical speculation need not concern us , but a few points. Welsh in origin, hailing from the lovely island of Anglesey, Gareth was somewhat solitary, his main hobby cycling to a high level of proficiency. A mathematical genius who obtained a PhD at a young age, but 'kept himself to himself'. Regarding this consensus view, two comments.

First, his family would not realistically know all details of his intimate personal life--especially as he had lived away from home for many years.

Second, the image of Gareth as a 'loner' has been propagated by MI6, the very body that prevented homicide police talking directly to actual friends (within SIS/GCHQ) who might have a different story to tell.

Fragments of his career, most uncontested, have emerged, and given the lack of dispute (one source aside, it seems reasonable to put them together chronologically, pending further illumination. Recruited at Manchester University in 2000 he joined GCHQ Cheltenham (the British state's listening/surveillance centre) in 2001. Rather less glamorous than MI6 or MI5, GCHQ is nonetheless indispensable to the UK's intelligence apparatus. Integrally linked with, and subordinate to, the USA's National Security Agency (NSA) , this nexus has done GCHQ no harm since 9/11, as perceived CIA failures at that time led the Bush White House to favour the NSA over the CIA. Williams first assignment of note was a trip to Bulgaria, on behalf of MI5. In 2003 he supposedly spent 6 months at the Menwith Hill listening centre, Yorkshire . In 2006 he worked at Fort Meade Texas, home base of the US 'National Security Agency' (NSA), their GCHQ equivalent, and reportedly visited frequently, up to four times a year, in three to four week stints . It has been suggested that Williams first rose to internal prominence helping monitor/foil the August 2006 'Liquid Bomb Plot'.

He seems to have been an outstanding code-breaker, helping to monitor Taliban communications in Afghanistan (two trips to Kabul claimed) and 'serious crime' suspects at home . A clue to his Afghan role can be gleaned from a 2008 story about the Taliban using Skype calls (rather than land-lines/traditional mobiles) to evade MI6 detection. Apparently, the "British and American governments are investing considerable resources to crack the codes" --Williams was most likely one. Al Qaeda and their allies were not just tackled overseas--he played some part in a recent operation whereby three aeroplanes fitted with listening devices swept over a city the size of Bradford to hoover up all mobile phone conversations for analysis . The Bradford reference is no accident, given its ethnic composition. It has also been claimed that Williams' took part in a "secret eavesdropping mission in Afghanistan...just weeks before his mystery death", using his skill at voice analysis to identity Pakistani-born Briton Abdul Jabbar & Ahmed Sidiqi, both involved in (alleged) recent plots to carry out mass atrocities in Europe . Whether he flew to Afghanistan from the US or UK is not stated. That might be because he visited as part of a ten-strong joint GCHQ/NSA team, according to one report.

There is no doubting the high priority work Williams probably undertook--cyber-terrorism & 'terrorism' per se are among the British state's declared highest (Tier 1) security priorities . Since his death, the importance of such work has been reiterated time and again. While such matters are usually reported in the media as the UK/West generally 'defending' itself against external cyber-threats, the reality is more complex, and the top-secret US Presidential Directive 16 of July 2002 explicitly authorises pre-emptive cyber-war against foreign enemies, something Williams would be aware of, perhaps involved in . There is an undoubted overlap between cyber-crime & more traditional illegal enterprises, and defence against Turkish Chinese & Russian organised crime was reportedly something Williams was involved in.. Of these, the Russian is the one most talked about in UK security circles. Although Williams was fast approaching the end of his MI6 secondment, on return to GCHQ he was to head up (or at least play a part in) the new 'Cyber-Security Operations Centre', continuing his work shoring up the City of London cyber-defences . It has been strongly suggested by a ‘security source’ (MI6) that Williams was “working on secret technology to target Russian criminal gangs who launder stolen money through Britain”

How vital an asset Williams was is difficult to assess without knowing how many others were involved--but he certainly had the signs of a technical high flier. Was he, however, operational in the sense of meeting/running field agents, or undertaking missions involving the assumption of fake identities & so forth, moving into James Bond territory? No hint of such has been disclosed by official sources, even though possessing at least four mobile phones is suggestive. Though certainly not conclusive: in drugs trials for instance only 10 phones or more are routinely interpreted as legally significant. An unofficial source, his friend Sian Lloyd-Jones, spoke of him having fake passports and learning new identities while visiting her London flat in January 2010 . Also, a ‘security source’ told two Guardian reporters Williams visited West London for work “monitoring foreign embassies”This contention aside, we can say Williams possessed arcane up-to-date knowledge, that would have been prized by many, whatever 'side' they might be on. There is no reason to dissent from Sir John Sawers, MI6 chief, describing Williams as "hugely talented...he did really valuable work with us in the cause of national security" .

Williams' death is luridly fascinating for the following reasons.

First, it is rare (excluding Northern Ireland) for a British spook (as opposed to asset/sub-contractor) to be killed on home soil--hence the shock.

Second, the multiple state agencies involved: MI6, GCHQ, Met Police & of course, MI5 and overseas services with an interest (the CIA/NSA for starters) make this a complex case.

Third, the mendacity of some 'journo-cops' covering this story is a salutary reminder of the parlous state of 'investigative journalism'. Additionally, the episode affords a chance to elaborate, and codify, NFB’s concept of 'SPIJ' (State Compromised Pseudo-Investigative Journalism), by analysing the different types of journalist-spook relationship.

Finally, the enigma of how he died: a riddle worthy of Sherlock Holmes (or Houdini) inevitably fascinates, not least because of the claustrophobic horror it evokes. Inasmuch as the flat was locked from outside, and stories he climbed into the bag freely outlandish, a true conundrum. The official police position pre-inquest, of a "suspicious and unexplained death" was oxymoronic and ludicrous.

to see the associated video-clips filmed at relevant locations, and to read more of this 21 page article, visit our sister-site www.borderlandmagazine.co.uk where you can purchase Notes From the Borderland 10 on-line. To buy by post, either visit that site, or click on the article below on Buying NFB by post/on-line.

TIMELINE/THE KNOWN FACTS

Some facts below are contested, and others will in time become so. Nonetheless, a basic outline is essential for serious analysis.

2010

March/April: Williams reportedly told both MI6 and GCHQ that he was being followed by two (white) men in their 40s, but was apparently not believed .

May: 'unconfirmed' (and disputed) sighting of Williams at Bar-Code gay bar, Vauxhall (near MI6 HQ)

June-July: Williams has dealings with two couples, who may (or may not) be one and the same

Couple 1, of Caucasian appearance, had brief words with him between four and six times a week in the Patisserie Valerie coffee-shop & similar locations near Holland Park Tube Station .

Couple 2, of Mediterranean appearance, visited his home on one occasion at least, and did not use the intercom system to gain entry to the flat itself: perhaps indicating they had a key .

11th August: returns from a holiday in the USA using Washington's Foster Dulles airport, reportedly spoke to his sister Ceri on the phone the same day . Also visited Patisserie Valerie .

13th August: went & returned alone from watching drag cabaret artiste Jimmy Woo at the Bistrotheque gay club Bethnal Green East London .

14th August: CCTV captures him entering Holland Park Station, wearing cream trousers, red shirt & carrying a white plastic bag at 2.59pm. According to Sian Lloyd-Jones, he rang her that day, and this is the last time she actually spoke to him .

15th August: images show him shopping at Harrods and nearby in Brompton Road SW7, at 2.30pm. Wearing the same clothes--giving the impression he may have stayed out overnight .

18th August: in one account attributed to Ceri, the last day he was known to be alive--they spoke by phone . Another version says, rather, she tried but was unable to contact him. To complicate matters further, it has been reported that Williams failed to attend a meeting at MI6 that day . If both things (contact with his sister/failing to attend Vauxhall Cross) are true, a day of great significance.

23rd August: c.4.40pm, Williams’ body found by two police officers, in the predominant account alerted by MI6 about non-attendance at work that day. The lesser known version is that Ceri alerting the police (and also MI6) led to them visiting. According to Lloyd-Jones, Ceri called her at 11am that day, worried she had got no answer from Gareth over the weekend . Both versions can be reconciled, but it is nonetheless still unclear as to whether the initiative to formally act on Williams missing came from MI6 themselves or they were prompted by Ceri. As will be seen later such 'cognitive dissonance' is of great importance in this case. Thus began the ongoing police investigation ‘Operation Finlayson’.

24th August: Welsh police call at the home of Gareth Williams' parents (who were on holiday) to inform them .

25th August: first inconclusive post mortem carried out by Dr Ben Swift .

26th August: family formally identify mortal remains .

1st September: inquest opened & adjourned

3rd September: the date on which Williams had been due to return to GCHQ (& possible promotion)

6th September: Met Police release selected CCTV images of Williams' movements, and appeal for a mysterious "Mediterranean couple" to come forward.

8th September: inquest re-opened, and then re-adjourned, pending further autopsy (a second had been performed by this time) and information.

26th September: memorial service held at Bethel chapel in Holyhead, attended by family members and Sir John Sawers (MI6 Chief)

28th October: third and to date final post-mortem, by Dr Dick Shepherd, again inconclusive as to cause of death. Police repeat appeal for information on the elusive 'Mediterranean couple'

29th October: start of a slew of stories linking Williams' death to claustrophilia/bondage/sado-masochism in the media.

22nd December: Met Police release highly distinctive e-fits of the elusive 'Mediterranean couple' and publicise Williams' visit to a gay club, browsing bondage web sites & so forth. Police admit he could not have climbed into the bag and locked it without help, and assert that he was therefore not alone in the flat.

26th December: interview given by Sian Lloyd-Jones to the Mail on Sunday puts the cat among the media/spook pigeons.

2011

15th February: coroner Paul Knapman re-opens & adjourns the inquest, delayed again for further toxicological tests.

31st March: the date Knapman gave for a resumption of proceedings, came & went. As did he--retired, replaced by the experienced Dr Fiona Wilcox, who took up her new post before noon on April 1st.

5th April: exemplary 'Week in Week Out' documentary on the Williams case screened in Wales, greeted with deafening silence elsewhere.

25th June/13th August: Daily Mail claim inquest will resume in September (it didn’t)

23rd August Met Police tell BBC Wales this is “still an active investigation”

2012

30th March: pre-inquest review begins, full inquest scheduled to follow three weeks later. Series of claims made by family (they suspect murder by practitioners of ‘dark arts’) and police: the Mediterranean couple no longer important, one DNA trace on body now stated to be from a forensic scientist involved in the investigation.

23rd April: inquest resumes [fuller chronology follows in Part 2 of this article].

1st May: Fiona Wilcox tells Detective Superintendent Michael Broster he was biased towards MI6, due to keeping evidence from Sebire.

2nd May: Dr Wilcox delivers a narrative verdict stating this was an “unnatural death…mediated by criminality”, and that on the balance of probability Gareth was “unlawfully killed”. Very brave, in the circumstances. Sebire, meanwhile, is “actively pursuing new leads”.

IN-DEPTH COVERAGE OF THE SUBJECT OF THIS ARTICLE IS IN THE PUBLICATION "TURNING UP THE HEAT" - CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE SHOP

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About NFB Magazine
Welcome to Britain's premier parapolitical investigative magazine Notes from the Borderland (NFB). We have been producing the magazine since 1997 but some published material before then.

Our political perspective is Left/Green, but we welcome truth-tellers, whatever their affiliation. Research interests include the secret state (MI5/MI6/Special Branch, now SO15) & their assets, including those in the media. We are resolutely anti-fascist, and to that end investigate the far right and state infiltration of various milieus. In a shallow age where many TV programmes and print/internet stories are spoon-fed to servile journalists/bloggers by shadowy interests, NFB stands out as genuine investigative research.

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