Fletcher murder suspect ‘killed in vendetta’

Abdulqadir al-Baghdadi, who was an official in the Libyan embassy in London at the time of the 1984 murder, was discovered with gunshot wounds to the head.

British police are hoping to travel to Libya to investigate the murder of WPC Fletcher, who was shot while standing on duty outside the embassy.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said officers would assess whether the news of al-Baghdadi’s death would affect their investigation.

The Richmond MP said: “This is the subject of a Metropolitan Police investigation that is going on and will go on into the future, so I don’t want to prejudge immediately what has been announced.

“Of course we will want to know a good deal more about what the NTC (National Transitional Council) say has happened, and I’m sure the police will want to assess themselves whether it affects their investigation in any way.”

It was reported last week that 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 on the day of the killing.

It is alleged that al-Baghdadi is named as a co-conspirator in the CPS files along with another man; Matouk Mohammed Matouk.

A spokesman for the rebel council in Tripoli said al-Baghdadi’s death was probably the result of an “inside vendetta” within the Gaddafi regime.

Earlier Mr Hague had said officers from the Metropolitan Police could travel to Libya in the course of their investigation once the security situation had improved.

“The NTC have always said to us, including when their chairman was here in London in May, that they would co-operate fully with the British authorities on these subjects,” he said.

“This is one of the priorities for us in future relations with Libya.”

Serious questions remain, however, over whether any of the suspects will ever stand trial.

A spokesman for the NTC has previously said it will not hand over its own citizens to the West.

Mr Hague said: “Libya does have a law that prevents it from extraditing its own citizens to other countries, but of course these are all issues we will have to resolve depending on how the police investigation goes on.”

Meanwhile a US senator has called for American officials to be given access to the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, in order to assess his health.

Senator Robert Menendez has written to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urging her to ask the NTC to give American and international officials immediate access to Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.

He said Megrahi remains an “important source” of information on the 1988 bombing and should be questioned about it.

Megrahi was released from a Scottish prison two years ago after being diagnosed with cancer and returned to Libya, Footage showing him in a coma and apparently close to death has been released.

In his letter, Mr Menendez said: “Megrahi remains an important source of information about the bombing.

“We still do not know who ordered the bombing, who collected the intelligence to carry out the plan, who made the bomb and who – in addition to Megrahi – bears responsibility for this and other heinous attacks.”

British Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday chaired a meeting of the National Security Council, which discussed developments on the ground, the humanitarian situation and the unfreezing of Libyan assets.

The meeting also looked ahead to the Libya summit being held on Thursday in Paris, which is being co-chaired by Mr Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.