Police say they believe they could identify those responsible for police officer’s death, but evidence could not be shown in court

The investigation of a man arrested over the murder of PC Yvonne Fletcher outside the Libyan embassy in London has been dropped after it was decided that much of the evidence gathered could not be presented because of national security concerns.

Detectives said on Tuesday they believed they could identify those responsible for the 1984 murder of Fletcher, but that the evidence prosecutors would be able to present to a court would not be enough to get a conviction.

A statement from Fletcher’s family said: “We are deeply disappointed and frustrated that a prosecution cannot proceed at this time. We had hoped that the latest turn of events would finally lead to some closure for the family.”



The man, who was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, was believed to be still in the UK, said Ken Marsh, the chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation. Marsh said of the news that the suspect would have no action taken against them: “It is disappointing because we will never cease to try and get the perpetrator who killed Yvonne Fletcher. We still cling on to hope we will get who did it.”



Scotland Yard said: “The man, arrested on 19 November 2015, has today been released from police bail and advised that the investigation against him will not be proceeded with at this time.”

The Guardian previously identified the man arrested as Dr Saleh Ibrahim Mabrouk, a former minister in Muammar Gaddafi’s government and a high-ranking member of the team tasked by the regime with suppressing opposition. Police refused to confirm his identity on Tuesday.



Fletcher, who was 25, was hit in the back by automatic gunfire from the direction of the Libyan embassy on the morning of 17 April 1984. Libyan exiles in the UK, some of whom were also injured, had been protesting against the Gaddafi regime. Fletcher died later that day at Westminster hospital. Her fiance, Michael Liddle, who was also a police officer, was at her side.

The murder led to a 10-day police siege of the embassy and the severing of diplomatic relations with the Libyan regime, as well as the deportation of 30 of the people who were inside the building.

Police said their investigation had “resulted in a deeper understanding” of the circumstances surrounding the killing and the “associated terrorist activity targeting Libyan dissidents in the UK and across Europe in the 1980s”.

Detectives said: “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.

“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.”

Mabrouk was with the demonstrators outside the embassy on the day Fletcher was killed and was deported from the UK after the murder. But that order was later lifted, allowing him to return to Britain under an initiative to improve relations with Libya that formed part of a deal ultimately aimed at bringing the Libyan Lockerbie bombing suspects to trial.

Scotland Yard said that counter-terrorism officers had pursued “hundreds of lines of inquiry”, including making visits to Libya to gather evidence and reviewing material previously unseen by the police, as they investigated what they said was an “act of state-sponsored terrorism”.

Although the investigation would remain open, police said the suspect’s release on Tuesday left little chance of the case ever being solved, which could have provided a “degree of closure for the victims and their families”. Fletcher’s family thanked officers, who they said had “left no stone unturned” in the investigation.



Fletcher “earned great respect from her colleagues and the community she served” after joining the force at the age of 18, the Met police’s assistant commissioner, Mark Rowley, said. “The murder of a British police officer in broad daylight, outside an embassy, provoked a powerful reaction from the public and from officers at the time, and the tragedy of WPC Fletcher’s death continues to resonate with officers today,” he added.



“Every year, on the anniversary of WPC Fletcher’s death, serving and retired officers from the Met visit her memorial at St James’s Square to remember and mark their respects to a valued officer.

“I am extremely proud of the exceptional work the investigative team and the Crown Prosecution Service have carried out. I know they were incredibly determined to identify those responsible for the senseless murder of a colleague.

“I regret that we have not been able to deliver the justice that the victims and their families deserve. Our thoughts today are with WPC Fletcher’s family and all those affected by the events of that day in 1984.”

The home secretary, Amber Rudd, said: “I cannot comment on the details of this case. I would however like to acknowledge the hard work and commitment the Metropolitan police have shown over a prolonged period of time to bring to justice those involved in the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher.

“WPC Fletcher was one of their own. Her murder remains as shocking and senseless as the day it occurred and I understand that the decision will be deeply disappointing and frustrating for all her family, friends and colleagues.”

The Mabrouk family has been approached for comment.