Skip Channel4 main Navigation

|Powered By Google


Skip to main content

Last Modified: 05 Jun 2008
By: Jonathan Rugman

Zimbabwe police detain a convoy of British and American diplomats and threaten to burn their vehicles with them inside.

Stopped by a roadblock, their tyres slashed and their equipment seized, four British embassy staff and five Americans were detained by Zimbabwean police for several hours as they investigated the post-election violence.

US Ambassador James McGree said supporters of President Mugabe had threatened to burn the convoy of vehicles with his colleagues inside unless they co-operated.

Britain has demanded an official explanation. The United States called the incident "outrageous and unacceptable".