UK police drop charges on Libyan national accused of shooting London policewoman, Fletcher
The British police said Tuesday they dropped a bid to prosecute a Libyan man over the 1984 killing of a London policewoman, who was shot dead from inside the Libyan embassy, according to the Associated Press.
The Libyan suspect was arrested in November 2015 in what police said was a significant development, later the Metropolitan Police said they had enough material to identify those responsible, but that the key evidence could not be presented to a court “for reasons of national security.” AP reported.
According to AP, the force said the suspect has been freed from police bail and the case “will not be proceeded with at this time.”
Constable Yvonne Fletcher was killed and 10 others wounded on April 17, 1984, when someone opened fire with a submachine gun from inside the Libyan People’s Bureau in London. Fletcher was policing a large demonstration against Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi outside. A 10-day siege followed the shooting before 30 people holed up inside were deported to Libya.
The shooting led to a 15-year rupture in diplomatic relations between Britain and Libya and helped seal Libya’s reputation as a rogue state.
Earlier this month, another suspect in killing the British constable, who is not arrested and lives in Libya (Brigadier General Abdulkader Al-Tuhami,, was named as the spy chief by the Libyan Government of National Accord.
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