New suspect named in Yvonne Fletcher murder case

A few days ago WPC Fletcher's mother Queenie told reporters that she hoped her daughter's killer would be found now that Muammar Gaddafi has been toppled from power.

Eyewitness reports from the day a policewoman was shot dead at the Libyan embassy in London have shed new light in the 27-year hunt for her killer.

No one has ever been charged over the death of WPC Yvonne Fletcher, 25, who died when Libyan officials opened fire on a demonstration outside the building in central London in 1984.

Those involved were later allowed to flee the UK.

According to the Daily Telegraph, a report has been drawn up for the Crown Prosecution Service which includes a witness account claiming junior diplomat Abdulmagid Salah Ameri was seen firing a gun that day.

The newspaper says that painter and decorator David Robertson watched events unfold.

It quotes the CPS report as saying: "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.

"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."

The Foreign Office confirmed that it "stands ready" to help Scotland Yard detectives to visit Libya as soon as conditions allow.

A 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 would not comment on the naming of the suspect.

He 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."

A few days ago WPC Fletcher's mother Queenie told reporters that she hoped her daughter's killer would be found now that Muammar Gaddafi has been toppled from power.

International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said the Government would be raising Yvonne Fletcher's case with the Libyan National Transitional Council.

"This is an investigation which is 27 years old now," he told the BBC. "No-one has been brought for justice for this appalling crime on the streets of London." PA