John McAfee, the antivirus software pioneer, died suspiciously inside his jail cell in Spain on June 23. According to jail authorities, McAfee ended his life inside the jail premises hours after a Spanish court had approved his extradition to the United States, where he is accused of tax evasion and other financial offences.
According to the reports, McAfee was found hanging at the Brians 2 prison in northeastern Spain on Wednesday. The security personnel who found him dead immediately tried to revive him, but their efforts went in vain. The jail’s medical team finally certified his death, a statement from the regional Catalan government said.
Incidentally, McAfee’s alleged suicide came just hours after the National Court of Spain had ordered his extradition to the United States, where he is wanted in several cases. Even though the court’s ruling was open for appeal and also approval was needed from the Spanish Cabinet, McAfee allegedly ended his life fearing extradition.
Soon after his death, several conspiracy theories have begun floating on the internet, hinting at some mystery surrounding his sudden death. A tweet put out by McAfee in December 2019 has given more fuel to such theories.
In a tweet in December 2019, John McAfee had shared a picture of his tattoo on his right arm, saying, “If I suicide myself, I didn’t. I was whackd. Check my right arm.”Getting subtle messages from US officials saying, in effect: “We’re coming for you McAfee! We’re going to kill yourself”. I got a tattoo today just in case,” he tweeted.
Getting subtle messages from U.S. officials saying, in effect: “We’re coming for you McAfee! We’re going to kill yourself”. I got a tattoo today just in case. If I suicide myself, I didn’t. I was whackd. Check my right arm.$WHACKD available only on https://t.co/HdSEYi9krq🙂 pic.twitter.com/rJ0Vi2Hpjj
— John McAfee (@officialmcafee) November 30, 2019
In his 2019 tweet, McAfee had accused US officials of sending him threats in “subtle messages.”
According to a few, John McAfee’s “Whackd” tattoo was a hint that his life was in danger as he suggested in his tattoo, saying if he was ever found dead by suicide, one should think he did not kill himself.
In another tweet eight months ago, McAfee had also strangely compared himself to Jeffrey Epstein, who was also found dead from an apparent suicide in his prison cell.
“I am content in here. I have friends. The food is good. All is well,” he wrote in October 2020. “Know that if I hang myself, a la Epstein, it will be no fault of mine.
His October 15 tweet referenced millionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who had died similarly by hanging himself in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
John McAfee’s Instagram account posts support for conspiracy theorists – QAnon
Hours after McAfee’s death, his Instagram account posted a cryptic message that showed the letter “Q”, an apparent reference to the conspiracy theorists “QAnon”.
On Wednesday, minutes after it was reported by multiple news organizations that former tech-giant and millionaire John McAfee had ended his life by apparent suicide in his Spanish prison cell, several conspiracy theories began to float on social media. It took a massive turn after his Instagram account posted the “Q” text, fuelling more theories on his sudden death.
After John McAfee’s death, his Instagram account posts a picture of a “Q.”
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) June 23, 2021
QAnon believers, as you’d expect, are thrilled. pic.twitter.com/M79J09D8gr
The post, which depicts a black, capital letter “Q” on a white background, was posted less than a half-hour after English-language news services began reporting his death. The post has now created a storm, with several top QAnon influencers speculating about the nature of McAfee’s death.
The QAnon conspiracy theories emerged in the United States during President Donald Trump’s term in the White House, speculating that the former president was waging a secret global war against a global cabal of drug peddlers, Satan-worshipping Democratic paedophiles. The allegations of QAnon found traction among many US citizens and supporters of the former president’s fanbase throughout the 2020 election.
Who was John McAfee?
John McAfee was a brilliant computer engineer, a cryptocurrency promoter, tax opponent, a former US presidential candidate who later turned into a fugitive.
The British tech entrepreneur John McAfee had an illustrious career of working for NASA, Xerox and Lockheed Martin before launching the world’s first commercial anti-virus in 1987. He sold his software company to Intel for $7.7billion in 2011. He no longer had any involvement in the business, however, the anti-virus program still carried his name with over 500 million users worldwide.
Since making a fortune with the antivirus software, John McAfee had become a self-styled cryptocurrency guru, claiming to make $2,000 a day. However, his life was full of controversies involving drugs, weapons and even murder.
Interestingly, McAfee had also tried his hand in politics by contesting for the US presidency twice and was also a participant in Libertarian Party presidential debates in 2016.
McAfee was locked up in a jail in Spain since he was arrested at Barcelona airport in October 2020, when he was about to board a flight to Istanbul. He is alleged to have failed to file tax returns between 2014 and 2018, even after earning millions from consulting work, cryptocurrencies and selling the rights to his life story. If he was convicted, he could have been jailed for at least 30 years in prison.
