John McAfee Found Dead In Barcelona Prison Cell
The American software entrepreneur John McAfee has been found dead in his cell in Barcelona, just a few hours after Spain’s Supreme Court approved his extradition to the United States, on tax-related criminal charges.
In a statement, the Catalan justice department said that prison officers and medics had tbeen called to his cell and tried to save his life but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The statement said that: “Everything points to death by suicide.”
McAfee’s lawyer issued a statement to the Reuters news agency saying that the 75 year old McAfee had apparently hanged himself in his prison cell.
McAfee, created the McAfee virus software, had been held in custody, pending extradition proceedings to the United States after he was arrested in October at Barcelona’s Pratt Airport where he was en-route to Istanbul.
Yesterday, Wednesday 23rd June, the Spanish Supreme Court in Madrid approved the extradition request.
The court ruling read: “The court agrees to grant the extradition of John David McAfee as requested by the American judicial authorities for the crimes referred to in the tax offence indictments for years 2016 to 2018.”
In a tweet on 16 June, he said the US authorities believed he had “hidden crypto. I wish I did,” adding “My remaining assets are all seized. My friends evaporated through fear of association. I have nothing. Yet, I regret nothing.”