John McAfee Seeks Asylum In Guatemala

Anti-virus software pioneer John McAfee is seeking asylum in Guatemala after going on the run following the murder of his neighbour in Belize last month.

The 67-year-old multi-millionaire managed to cross into Guatemala over the weekend with his 20-year-old girlfriend Sam Vanegas.

After his arrival, he employed former Guatemalan attorney general Telesforo Guerra to manage his plea to stay in the country.

"[Mr McAfee] is persecuted in Belize, persecuted politically because he stopped financing the government," Mr Guerra said after meeting Mr McAfee at a hotel in Guatemala City.

"They accuse him of a common crime. So what I have to obtain is an authorisation of asylum."

Asked whether Mr McAfee fears being assassinated, Guerra said: "Yes, he fears for his life, because after having helped and supported the current government in Belize, they now want more and more money, which they pocket and don't invest."

Before fleeing south into Guatemala, he put out a false report saying he had been captured near the northern Mexican border and claimed to have sent a "double" with a North Korean passport to Mexico as another decoy.

The Silicon Valley entrepreneur has maintained his innocence since escaping the Belize police on the island of Ambergris Caye hours after Gregory Faull was shot in the head on November 11.

He has regularly kept followers updated on his life on the run through his website whoismcafee.com .

In his latest blog post, he addressed Mr Faull's relatives directly denying he had anything to do with his death.

"I have lost five close family members in my 67 years and I know your suffering," he wrote.

He also offered to answer any question the Belize police had over the phone and said he would meet Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow - who has previously called him "bonkers" - in "any neutral country".

The authorities in Belize say Mr McAfee is wanted for questioning as a "person of interest" and have urged him to give himself up.

Mr Faull, who was found with a 9mm bullet in his head, led neighbours in writing a letter to the mayor complaining that the millionaire's "vicious" dogs and aggressive security guards were scaring tourists and residents.

Before he fled after the murder, Mr McAfee shot dead his four dogs, which he said could have been poisoned by Mr Faull. Ballistics experts have exhumed the animals are examining them to see if the bullets match that found in victim.