Brit police take DNA of dead spy's colleagues

LONDON, May 3 (UPI) -- Police in London said they suspect a member of the British secret services was in the apartment of British M16 spy Gareth Williams when he died.

Officers have taken DNA samples from 15 colleagues of Williams, who was found inside a locked athletic bag in his London apartment in 2010, and plan to take samples from as many as 35 more of his colleagues, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Investigators said human traces were found on a green hand towel recovered from a shelf in the kitchen of Williams' apartment and it could provide a breakthrough in the investigation. Tests on whether there is a DNA sample on the towel could be completed within weeks, the Telegraph said.

London coroner Dr. Fiona Wilcox has concluded Williams' death probably involved another person and that he was either poisoned or suffocated.

Wilcox, who presided over an inquest in Westminster Coroner's Court, said the possibility a member of the intelligence services was involved in the code-breaker's death was a "legitimate line of inquiry" for the investigation.

Wilcox said she believes Williams was still alive when he was locked in the bag.

Martin Hewitt, a deputy assistant commissioner at the Metropolitan Police, said weak traces of DNA of at least two other people that had been found in the apartment are being investigated.