The spy who fell off the radar
Posted on August 8, 2010The developing story of the murder of Gareth Williams, the GCHQ staffer who was on loan to MI6, has all the elements necessary to run and run. For a start, it allows headline writers to use the word “SPY” a lot, which is both exciting and conveniently short.
Then there is the awful way in which he died and was discovered, stuffed into a holdall. Add to that the competing theories and allegations about possible terrorism or foreign espionage, and the scrutiny of his private life, and you have a really big story.
What has truly gasted my flabber about this case, though, is that MI6, MI5 and GCHQ combined don’t seem to have noticed that he was missing – never mind dead – for around two weeks. My colleagues would probably notice a (sizeable) Wallace-shaped gap in the room if I didn’t show up for a day, never mind a fortnight – and I’m not in possession of facts pertaining to national security.
Spying (and spying on other spies, and so on and so on) is, I appreciate, a difficult business – but can it really be so hard to notice the disappearance of one of your own men? If it takes two weeks to notice one of your operatives or analysts has vanished from the radar, what is to stop them defecting to a hostile power or – like the unfortunate Gareth Williams – being murdered?
Tags: Crime, Gareth Williams, GCHQ, MI5, MI6, Murder
Categories: Opinion
August holiday?
No-one’s expecting to see you, so no-one worries till you’re due back at work. Easily get to 2 weeks like that. Given he was found on a Monday the likely story is that he didn’t turn up at work at the end of his time booked off, and the police are involved that day.
27.08.2010 12:15
Apparently he frequently went to the good ol’ US of A for a month at a time.
So, (a) he wasn’t really ‘missed’
(b) CIA & FBI have also got their knickers in a twist worrying about ‘their’ secrets as well.
27.08.2010 15:16
The spy who fell off the radar…
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28.08.2010 10:16