Software company founder John McAfee has surfaced in public for the first time in weeks, saying yesterday that he plans to ask for asylum in Guatemala because he fears persecution in Belize.
McAfee spoke to The Associated Press in a restaurant near a high-end hotel where he is staying in Guatemala City after sneaking out of neighboring Belize.
Police in Belize have called him a person of interest in the November slaying of a fellow American ex-pat but say there is no warrant for his arrest. Since there are no restrictions on his travels, it’s unclear why he would need any special status in order to stay in Guatemala.
McAfee says he is being persecuted by the Belizean government, and he has sensitive information about official corruption in that country. He has hired a well-known Guatemalan lawyer to assist him.