The Slatest

Has John McAfee Been Captured?

Photo of a Facebook page belonging to John McAfee

Photo by KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images

The saga of the computer programmer, antivirus pioneer, and generally strange person John McAfee has just ratcheted up a new notch of weirdness amid conflicting reports. His official blog, whoismcafee.com, reported an “unconfirmed report” that he had been “captured at the border of Belize and Mexico.” But the San Jose Mercury News hears from Belize police that the report is untrue and McAfee’s whereabouts are still unknown. The Mercury News’ Peter Delevett reminds readers that authorities have insisted they just want to question McAfee about the murder of his neighbor, Gregory Faull, and have not issued an arrest warrant. But McAfee says he’ll be killed if police get their hands on him.

The report of his arrest came a day after CNN interviewed McAfee at a “safe house” in what was his first on-camera interview since going on the run. (Watch a portion of the interview after the jump.) To get the interview, CNN had to go through a lot of hoops, including “a cloak and dagger meeting complete with a secret phrase and response.” The New York Times’ David Segal wasn’t so lucky as he did not get a chance to interview McAfee in person* (although he did manage to get him on the phone) for his lengthy profile that illustrates what kind of strange world the 67-year-old seems to inhabit. “I think he’s living a movie in his mind,” Daniel Guerrero, the mayor of San Pedro, Belize, said, “and he’s enjoying the movie.”

Correction: This item originally stated incorrectly that the New York Times’ David Segal didn’t interview McAfee for his piece.