McAfee antivirus software creator found dead in jail

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John McAfee (Image: Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons)
John McAfee (Image: Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons)

New Delhi : John McAfee, the creator of the McAfee antivirus software, has been found dead in his cell in a jail in Barcelona, said a report by Associated Press.

Interestingly, Spanish government had issued extradition orders for him to the United States to face tax-related criminal charges.

The security personnel tried to revive 75-year-old businessman but the medical staff in the jail declared him dead.

An official statement by the regional Catalan government did not specify his name, and mentioned he was a 75-year-old US citizen awaiting extradition to the country. An official, who is not authorized to be named in media reports, has confirmed Associated Press that the dead man is McAfee.

Spain’s National Court had approved the extradition of detained antivirus software entrepreneur John McAfee to the United States, where he was wanted on tax-related criminal charges that carry a prison sentence of up to 30 years.

The decision has been appealed and final extradition will need to be approved by the Spanish cabinet.

The entrepreneur was arrested last October at Barcelona’s international airport. A judge ordered at that time that McAfee should be held in jail while awaiting the outcome of a hearing on extradition.

In a hearing held via videolink earlier this month, McAfee argued that the charges against him were politically motivated and said he would spend the rest of his life in prison if he was returned to the US.