Moment the Libyan embassy gunman killed WPC Yvonne
Footage emerges as new arrests made 30 years on
SHOCKING footage of the moment PC Yvonne Fletcher was shot outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984 was released yesterday as a man was arrested over her murder.
Scotland Yard said the man in his fifties, a key aide to former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, had been held in South-East England.
He was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder 25-year-old PC Fletcher on April 17, 1984. The man is believed to have sought asylum in Britain with his family after the downfall of Gaddafi’s regime in 2011.
He was also questioned over allegations that he laundered huge sums of money thought to have been stolen from the Libyan people. A woman in her forties and a second man in his fifties were also held on
‘Never witnessed any justice’
suspicion of money laundering offences.
The arrests are a pivotal moment for detectives investigating one of the darkest moments in the history of British policing.
Senior investigators said they are looking at ‘fresh evidence’ which could prove officials inside the Libyan People’s Bureau planned to murder people.
They released footage of the moment PC Fletcher was shot in St James’s Square as she policed an anti-Gaddafi protest.
As the camera pans over the crowd, a loud bang can be heard and those gathered are seen crouching to the ground fearing for their lives.
Colleagues then rush to the side of the young uniformed officer as she writhes on the ground after being struck by a single bullet from a machine-gun.
Police also published images of 14 men mounting a counter pro-Gaddafi protest across the road whom they want to trace.
Speaking after the announcement, PC Fletcher’s mother Queenie, 82, revealed that her husband Tim died recently after a short illness. She said: ‘It is now 31 years since Yvonne was shot and killed outside the Libyan People’s Bureau. Recently we have had to come to terms with another loss through the death of Yvonne’s father, Tim.
‘His one regret in life was that no one had been arrested in connection with the murder of his daughter and he never witnessed any justice. Resolving this crime is still important to all the family.
‘Any information, however small, can help bring closure for the family and we therefore continue to support the Metropolitan Police in their ongoing investigation.’
The breakthrough behind the arrests came during a brief period of co-operation between Gaddafi and the British Government before his country collapsed into civil war. It is understood police were given access to detailed information about who was in the embassy building at the time of the shooting.
Up to 30 people remained inside the embassy after the shooting for ten days until a deal was brokered which allowed them to return to Libya. At the time officers were allowed to interview them only briefly. It is believed the weapons used, a machinegun and a pistol, were smuggled out in diplomatic bags.
Last night police refused to discuss the identity of the suspect, but a handful of Libyans present during the shooting are now believed to be living in Britain.
The Met offered a £50,000 reward for information which leads to the arrest and successful prosecution of those involved.