Antivirus software pioneer John McAfee was found dead in his prison cell near Barcelona, amid reports saying he apparently made suicide.
McAfee was arrested in 2020 at Barcelona’s international airport and had been held in jail since then.
His death came one day after Spain’s High Court ruled he could be extradited to the United States, where he faced tax evasion charges that carried a sentence of up to 30 years.
McAfee apparently hanged himself, his lawyer told Reuters news agency.
The lawyer pointed out that he was abe to appeal against the court order. However, the software entrepreneur “could not stand more time in jail.”
A statement from the regional Catalan government said an investigation was opened over the causes of death.
“Everything points to death by suicide,” the statement reads.
McAfee run for US presidential run in 2020 as a Libertarian Party candidate, his second failed run at the White House.
During a court hearing in Madrid last week, he argued that the tax fraud charges filed against him were linked to his failed US presidential run.
