Report: John McAfee Found Dead in Spanish Prison Cell

john mcafee 2
Associated Press
Allum Bokhari

Antivirus software pioneer John McAfee, who sought the Libertarian Party nomination for President in 2016 and 2020, has been found dead in a prison cell in Spain, according to reports. The tech tycoon previously claimed that “if I suicide myself, I didn’t. I was whackd.”

McAfee had been arrested by Spanish authorities at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice for alleged tax evasion. Spanish authorities had approved his extradition to the U.S. shortly before his death, which early reports in local newspapers are attributing to suicide.

McAfee, aged 75 at the time of his death, made his fortune as a software developer in the early days of Silicon Valley, pioneering the widely-used McAfee Antivirus software.

According to El Pais, a mainstream newspaper in Spain, sources at the Spanish Department of Justice said “everything points to a suicide.”

In 2019, McAfee declared “If I suicide myself, I didn’t. I was whackd.”

“Getting subtle messages from U.S. officials saying, in effect: “We’re coming for you McAfee! We’re going to kill yourself,” said McAfee in a tweet.

Displaying a photo of his arm with a tattoo saying “$WHACKD,” McAfee said “I got a tattoo today just in case. If I suicide myself, I didn’t. I was whackd. Check my right arm.”

McAfee reiterated his position in a 2020 tweet:

An outspoken libertarian who became famous for his eccentric, viral stunts, declared taxes to be “illegal” in 2019, and claimed he had not filed a tax return for eight years.

In 2020, he attracted headlines for faking his own arrest in Norway, which he claimed had been the result of attempting to wear a thong as a face mask. McAfee later admitted that it was a prank, and mocked the media for failing to fact-check.

In 2016, McAfee made his first attempt to become the Libertarian Party candidate for president, running on a platform of free market economics, free trade, foreign policy non-interventionism, the decriminalization of cannabis, and greater awareness of cyberwarfare risks to the United States.

He ultimately lost the Libertarian Party primary to the former Republican governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson.

Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News. He is the author of #DELETED: Big Tech’s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal The Election.

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