A British spy found murdered in his flat might have lain undiscovered for up to two weeks.
The man, named locally as Gareth Williams, was found stuffed in a large sports holdall in the bath of his central London home.
Mr Williams, aged in his 30s, was employed as a communications officer at the GCHQ "listening post" in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
He was on secondment to the riverside headquarters of MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service, about half a mile from the flat.
Officers discovered Mr Williams after breaking into the flat on Monday afternoon when the alarm was raised by colleagues who had not seen him for "some time".
They found his decomposing body, as well as his mobile phone and several Sim cards, laid out nearby at the top-floor flat in Alderney Street, Pimlico.
A post-mortem examination was being carried out by a Home Office pathologist today to establish what led to his death.
Sources close to the inquiry said it is not clear how he died and played down speculation that the murder is linked to his secretive line of work.
One source said: "The suggestion there is terrorism or national security links to this case is pretty low down the list of probabilities."
Neighbours described Mr Williams as an "extremely friendly" and athletic man who enjoyed cycling and had a strong Welsh accent.
They said he had lived in London for about a year and was planning to return to Cheltenham, where he rented a flat.
A postwoman who called at the block today said he often collected parcels at the communal front door.
Secretary Laura Houghton, 30, said: "His windows were always shut and curtains were often closed. I could never tell if anyone was in.
"It was strange that we never saw him come and go. I just assumed he worked away.
"The first I heard of anything happening was when the police knocked on my door and asked me if I had heard anything happening. I told them the walls were so thick that I couldn't hear a thing.
drive from www.independent.co.uk
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