LONDON A man arrested in 2015 in connection with the 1984 murder of a British policewoman outside the Libyan embassy in London has been released without charge because crucial evidence was not available for national security reasons, police said on Tuesday.
Yvonne Fletcher, who was 25 and had joined the police aged 19, was hit in the back by a shot fired from the embassy while she was policing a demonstration by Libyan dissidents against Muammar Gaddafi, who then ruled the North African country.
“We believe our investigation has identified enough material to identify those responsible for WPC Fletcher’s murder if it could be presented to a court. However the key material has not been made available for use in court in evidential form for reasons of national security,” the Metropolitan Police said.
“Therefore, without this material and following a review of all the evidence that was available to prosecutors, the Crown Prosecution Service – who we worked closely with throughout – have informed us that there is insufficient admissible evidence to charge the man.”
The shooting of Fletcher triggered an 11-day siege of the embassy by the Metropolitan Police, the deportation of 30 Libyans in the embassy and the severing of diplomatic ties between London and Tripoli.
(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Kate Holton and Gareth Jones)
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