Libyan diplomat named as Yvonne Fletcher suspect

Saturday 27 August 2011

A man seen shooting from the Libyan embassy on the day of the policewoman's death is identified for the first time, as detectives prepare to pursue the murder hunt in Libya.

WPC Fletcher died after she was hit in the abdomen by a single bullet.

A Libyan diplomat reportedly seen firing a machine gun from the country's embassy in London on the day WPC Yvonne Fletcher died has been named for the first time.

An eyewitness said he saw Abdulmagid Salah Ameri shooting from the building after demonstrators opposed to the rule of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi gathered outside in April 1984.

The revelation was reported by the Daily Telegraph after the newspaper said it saw a new Crown Prosecution Service report on the unsolved murder.

The Foreign Office has said it is ready to help Scotland Yard detectives pursue the 27-year investigation into the policewoman's death with Libya's new government.

Her mother Queenie Fletcher has said the toppling of the Gaddafi regime offers the "best chance yet" of bringing her daughter's killer to justice.

He heard the gun being fired from the direction of the bureau, a 'rapid rat-a-tat-tat' lasting for two or three seconds. CPS report

WPC Fletcher died after she was hit in the abdomen by a single bullet.

An 11-day armed siege ended when the 30 Libyan staff barricaded inside the embassy were allowed to leave the country. No one has ever been charged with the murder but the investigation has never been closed.

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The Telegraph quoted a witness statement given to police by painter and decorator David Robertson, who said: "The man was holding the stock of the gun in his right hand, while his left hand was near the trigger area, as if he was about to fire. There were other men with him, with one to his left and at least two others standing behind him."

The report went on: "Mr Robertson made a comment to someone to his left about the gun and, as he did so, he heard the gun being fired from the direction of the bureau, a 'rapid rat-a-tat-tat' lasting for two or three seconds."

Mr Ameri, a junior diplomat at the time, is identified as the suspect with the gun in the document.

We are in contact with the Met and stand ready to assist them in returning to Tripoli when the conditions on the ground allow. Foreign Office

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "Helping the Metropolitan Police Service conclude the investigation that started in 1984 into the killing of WPC Yvonne Fletcher is a priority for this government.

"It will be an important element in the UK's relations with the new government of Libya. We are in contact with the Met and stand ready to assist them in returning to Tripoli when the conditions on the ground allow."

A Metropolitan Police spokesman declined to comment on the naming of the suspect but said: "The murder investigation has always remained open and the MPS remains committed to identifying those people responsible for killing WPC Yvonne Fletcher.

"Detectives remain in regular contact with WPC Fletcher's family and update them on developments."