An MI6 worker whose body was discovered in a sports bag in the bath of his London flat has been identified locally as Gareth Williams, a 31-year-old Foreign Office employee. Police are treating the death as suspicious, with reports indicating the man had been stabbed multiple times and his body was in a state of decomposition.
Williams is believed to have worked at GCHQ in Cheltenham before being seconded to MI6. He may have been dead for up to two weeks before his body was found on Monday afternoon at his flat in Alderney Street, Pimlico, just a mile from MI6 headquarters. Officers discovered his mobile phone and a collection of SIM cards laid out at the scene.
His former landlady, Jenny Elliott, 71, described him as a quiet, clever man who enjoyed cycling and running. She said he had been due to move back into her Cheltenham home next week after a year in London. The Foreign Office had contacted her earlier on Monday asking if she had heard from him.
Scotland Yard has launched a murder inquiry in conjunction with counterterrorist and security service officials. However, sources close to the investigation downplayed any terrorism links, describing such suggestions as "pretty low down the list of probabilities." A police source cautioned that the man had not been formally identified and might have been an "air conditioning technician rather than a spy."
A post-mortem examination is ongoing, and police have cordoned off the street while forensic teams search the property. The Metropolitan Police confirmed the body was found after reports that the occupant had not been seen for some time, and officers gained entry to the top-floor flat at around 4:40 pm on 23 August.
