Guatemala arrests software guru McAfee, ending saga

GUATEMALA CITY

Software developer McAfee (C) is seen outside of the court in Guatemala. He had been in hiding for weeks. REUTERS photo

U.S. Internet security guru John McAfee, on the run from authorities in Belize over a murder probe, has been arrested in Guatemala for illegally entering the country.

The arrest of the 67-year-old McAfee marks the latest twist in a novel-like tale of intrigue involving a murdered American expatriate and allegations of drug-fueled escapades with guns and prostitutes. Police spokesman Pablo Castillo told Agence France-Presse on Dec. 5 that McAfee had been arrested for entering the country illegally and could be deported within hours to either Belize, where he has permanent residency, or the U.S. The arrest came just hours after McAfee formally requested political asylum from Guatemala, with his attorney Telesforo Guerra claiming his client was a “victim of persecution and harassment” from the Belizean government.

The former Silicon Valley entrepreneur had been in hiding for more than three weeks until he crossed the border into Guatemala on Dec. 3 after devising elaborate ruses to confuse police. Belizean authorities are seeking to question McAfee as a person of interest over the Nov. 11 killing of his neighbor, American Gregory Faull, who was shot in the head and found in a pool of his own blood. McAfee amassed an estimated $100 million fortune in the 1990s, designing the pioneering anti-virus software. He decamped to Belize in 2009 after losing most of his fortune.

McAfee has denied any involvement in Faull’s murder and claims to have been “continually harassed” for several months by Belizean authorities, whom he accuses of being corrupt and out to get him. McAfee says he fears for his life should he be returned to Belize, while Belize Premier Dean Barrow has described him as “bonkers,” saying he is only wanted for questioning.