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22. 10. 09. - 14:00

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22. 10. 09. - 14:00

Brit UN nuclear expert may have been murdered, police say

By Thomas Hochwarter

A British nuclear energy expert who plunged 40 metres to his death at the United Nations’ (UN) building in Vienna may have been murdered, police said today (Thurs).

Timothy Hampton died on the spot on Tuesday after falling from a 17th floor window at the Vienna International Centre (VIC) - one of the UN’s three headquarters.

The UN confirmed the death of the 47-year-old – who was involved in disarmament negotiations with Iran as a member of the UN’s Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) – but refused to give any further information on the circumstances of the fatality.

A police spokesman told the Austrian Times today that investigators had not ruled out murder as no suicide note has been found.

"Whenever there is a case where others may have been involved we will investigate all the possible scenarios. Murder is one possibility, suicide another," the spokesman said.

He added investigators were waiting for the result of an autopsy.

UN staff told the Austrian Times yesterday that there had been a similar case just recently in which an employee died when he fell from a similar height at the landmark buildings in Vienna-Donaustadt.

Austrian Times

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