The British spy behind the controversial Donald Trump dossier published this week by BuzzFeed has suddenly gone into hiding. Christopher Steele, an officer with the British MI6, reportedly spoke with contacts both in and outside of Russia to prepare the document.

The dossier, which contained unsubstantiated information, had President-elect Donald Trump fuming this week. He blamed the intelligence community for pushing out the "fake news," but DNI chief James Clapper denied they were the source of the leak.

After the dossier was published, Steele disappeared, reports the New York Times.

According to neighbors and news reports, Mr. Steele hurriedly left his home in Surrey, a county southwest of London, on Wednesday to avoid attention or possible retribution once his identity as the author of the dossier was revealed, first by The Wall Street Journal. The Journal reported that Mr. Steele had declined its interview requests because the subject was “too hot.”

Steele appears to have left with his family, leaving only his pets behind.