John McAfee's Belize home burns to the ground
The strange case of computer software tycoon John McAfee has taken a new twist after his home in Belize burned to the ground.
John McAfee, left, and his Belize home in flames. Photo: BLOOMBERG
By Nick Allen, Los Angeles
5:55PM BST 20 May 2013
Pictures broadcast by 7 News Belize showed the two main wooden structures at Mr McAfee's compound on the outskirts of Orange Walk Town had been destroyed.
A building manager reportedly called the fire department as a bush fire closed in, but by the time they got there it was too late to stop the blaze.
The property, which was reportedly for sale, was where Mr McAfee was living when his American neighbour Gregory Faull was shot dead in November.
It was subsequently raided by Belize police who found guns and ammunition. Mr McAfee was named as a "person of interest" but not a suspect in the case.
He denied any involvement and claimed he was being persecuted by corrupt authorities.
Mr McAfee then fled over the border to Guatemala where he was detained and deported to the United States in December. He was born in Britain but had moved to the US as a child, and made his fortune there from the antivirus software which bears his name.
He is currently in Oregon working on books and film projects about his life, and claimed the fire at his property was "suspicious".
Mr McAfee told Fox News: "I am sure that the public has had various opinions of my trials and tribulations over the months. But I am hoping that this will bring to light that my concerns were based in reality.
"I believe that there are a select few with great power in Belize that will go to great lengths to harm me. This fire was not just a strange coincidence."
Last week, Mr McAfee told USA Today that authorities in the US have not sought to question him. He added: "I chose not to answer questions in Belize. That is a right we enjoy in this country."
The authorities in Belize have said he has not been charged and they do not intend to extradite him, only wanting to question him should he return to Belize.
