Hundreds pay tribute to police officer shot dead 40 years ago from inside Libya's UK embassy
LONDON (AP) — Hundreds of people attended a vigil in central London on Wednesday to commemorate the life of a police officer who was shot dead 40 years ago from inside the Libyan embassy in the British capital.
Constable Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was killed when men armed with submachine guns fired from the embassy’s windows while she was policing a demonstration outside the building against the regime of then-Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
Attendees laid flowers at the base of a memorial at the site where Fletcher died. The ceremony ended with the release of seven white doves in tribute to the slain police officer.
No one has been brought to justice for the death of Fletcher, even though campaigners, including her colleague John Murray, won a victory in a civil case at Britain’s High Court three years ago. A judge ruled that a former Libyan minister, Saleh Ibrahim Mabrouk, had been “jointly liable” for the plan to use violence during the anti-government protest, though he didn’t fire any shots