GUATEMALA CITY: American anti-virus software pioneer John McAfee, wanted for questioning over the murder of his neighbour last month in Belize, is in Guatemala where he is seeking political asylum, his lawyer said yesterday.
Telesforo Guerra, who met yesterday with McAfee at a Guatemala City hotel, said, “I have to manage his political asylum.”
The 67-year-old McAfee, who has been on the run for more than three weeks, since US expat Gregory Faull’s November 11 murder, wrote on his blog: “It was not easy to exit Belize and required many supporters in many countries. I am in Guatemala and will be meeting with Guatemalan officials. If all goes well I will do a press conference tomorrow (Wednesday),” wrote the fugitive, believed to be traveling with his girlfriend Sam, 20.
McAfee, who maintains his innocence, has been posting regularly on his blog, whoismcafee.com, leaving a confusing trail for the public and the Belizean authorities to follow.
Before apparently fleeing south into Guatemala, he put out a false report saying he had been captured near the northern Mexican border and claimed to have sent a “double” with a North Korean passport to Mexico as another decoy.
Internet users tracked a photo from a magazine on Monday to Guatemala, but McAfee initially claimed to have encrypted it to throw police off the scent.
“I apologise for all of the misdirections over the past few days,” McAfee, who says he is also travelling with two reporters from Vice magazine, wrote in yesterday’s post.
“Yesterday was chaotic due to the accidental release of my exact co-ordinates by an unseasoned technician at Vice headquarters,” he said. “We made it to safety in spite of this handicap. I had to cancel numerous interviews with the press yesterday because of this and I apologise to all of those affected.”
Police say Faull, 52, was discovered by his housekeeper with a 9-mm slug in his head lying in a pool of his own blood. Prior to his murder, Faull had led neighbours in writing a letter to the mayor complaining that McAfee’s “vicious” dogs and aggressive security guards were scaring tourists and residents alike.
McAfee shot dead four of his dogs before fleeing, claiming they had been poisoned, possibly by Faull. Police said the dogs were exhumed last week and ballistics experts are seeing if the slugs match up with the one found in Faull’s head.
A successful Silicon Valley entrepreneur who cashed out to live the life of an adventure seeker, McAfee amassed huge wealth from the antivirus software that bears his name. He decamped to Belize in 2009 after losing an estimated $96m of his $100m fortune due to bad investments and the financial crisis.
Police raided McAfee’s home in April and he was briefly incarcerated after police found him living with a 17-year-old girl and discovered an arsenal of seven pump-action shotguns, one single-action shotgun, and two 9-mm pistols.
In the McAfee story, the truth is an enigma. Did he actually commit the crime? If he did, why leave such an elaborate e-trail? If he didn’t, why go on the run at all?
McAfee was involved in a spat with the deceased but maintains his innocence and says he fears for his life if he gives himself up because the Belize authorities are corrupt and have it in for him. Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow has described McAfee as “bonkers,” saying he is only wanted for questioning, and urged him to give himself up.
AFP
