Two weapons used in London shooting—police

Press, 11 May 1984, Page 6

Two weapons used in London shooting —police

NZPA-AFP London Two weapons had been used in shooting from the Libyan Embassy in London on April 17, forensic experts told an inquest into the death of Constable Yvonne Fletcher yesterday. Scotland Yard, which led the embassy seige and investigations, had until yesterday said that a single burst of an automatic weapon had been fired from an upstairs window of the embassy. But analysis of 12 bullets

found in front of the Libyan People’s Bureau (Embassy) in St James’s Square had showed that nine had been fired from the same gun. It was “highly probable” that the others had been fired from a different weapon, the Westminster Coroner’s Court was told.

Police experts said that powder-traces had been found on two windows of the embassy’s firstfloor.

A council worker told the inquest that shortly before the shooting members of the

embassy had tried to stop him putting up metal crowd-barriers in front of the building. He said that an embassy member had told him, “we are not taking responsibility for these things (barriers) because we have guns here. There’s going to be fighting here today.” The barriers were to hold back the expected demonstration by opponents of the Libyan regime of Colonel Muammar Gadaffi. Ten demonstrators were injured in the shooting.