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Yvonne Fletcher: Libyan Man Arrested For Conspiracy To Murder

Libyan Man Arrested For Conspiracy To Murder Yvonne Fletcher 31 Years Ago
Sara C Nelson
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Scotland Yard has arrested a Libyan man in his 50s for conspiring to murder PC Yvonne Fletcher 31 years ago.

PC Fletcher, who was 25, was shot dead as she policed an anti-Gaddafi demonstration outside the Libyan People's Bureau in London.

The bullets which killed her and injured 10 protesters came from inside the embassy.

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Yvonne Fletcher was fatally shot in 1984

Her death led to an 11-day siege of the building in St James's Square and the severing of diplomatic links between the UK and Libya. [Scroll down for a timeline of events after her death.]

The suspect arrested on Thursday was held at a location in south east England in what police described as "the first significant arrest" of the investigation.

Detectives have also arrested a man and a woman on suspicion of money laundering.

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Yvonne Fletcher murder
Yvonne Fletcher(01 of17)
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File photo dated 18/4/1984 of the hat of murdered policewoman Yvonne Fletcher upturned along with the helmets of fellow officers outside the Libyan People's Bureau in St. James's Square. A Libyan man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder her. (credit:PA/PA Wire)
Yvonne Fletcher(02 of17)
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File photo dated 27/04/84 of a honour guard of Pc's as the coffin of Pc Yvonne Fletcher is borne into Salisbury Cathedral, as a was arrested on suspicion of conspiring to murder the Pc, who was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy in London 31 years ago. (credit:PA/PA Wire)
Yvonne Fletcher(03 of17)
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Undated picture of Yvonne Fletcher, the police officer who was shot dead while on duty outside the Libyan Embassy in London in 1984. A Libyan man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder her. (credit:PA/PA Wire)
Crime - St James's Square Shooting - Floral Tributes For WPC Yvonne Fletcher - London(04 of17)
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Floral tributes at the spot where WPC Yvonne Fletcher was shot outside the St James's Square in London on April 17th. Following an extensive search of the building and its surrounding areas, a big clean-up operation is now in progress. (credit:PA/PA Archive)
Crime - St James's Square Shooting - WPC Yvonne Fletcher Memorial - London(05 of17)
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Tim Fletcher, the father of murdered WPC Yvonne Fletcher, completes the planting of a flowering cherry tree in St James's Square, London, when a ceremony was held to honour his daughter's death. Yvonne was shot outside the Libyan People's Bureau last April. (credit:PA/PA Archive)
Crime - St James's Square Shooting - Army Bomb Disposal Squad - Libyan People's Bureau - London(06 of17)
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Part of an Army Bomb Disposal Squad that arrived at the former Libyan People's Bureau in St James's Square, London, only hours after the expiry of the bureau's diplomatic immunity following an 11-day siege. (credit:PA/PA Archive)
Crime - St James's Square Shooting - Libyan People's Bureau - London(07 of17)
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Workmen open a manhole cover outside the former Libyan People's Bureau in St James's Square, London, hours after the bureau lost its diplomatic status. (credit:PA/PA Archive)
Crime - St James's Square Shooting - Libyan People's Bureau - London(08 of17)
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The strain of the 11-day siege of the former Libyan People's Bureau appears to tell as weary police officers stand guard at the screens surrounding St James's Square in London, scene of the shooting of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. (credit:PA/PA Archive)
Yvonne Fletcher(09 of17)
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Five Libyans walking away from the Libyan People's Bureau in St James's Square, London, when the 11-day police siege of the building ended, as a was arrested on suspicion of conspiring to murder Pc Yvonne Fletcher, who was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy in London 31 years ago. (credit:PA/PA Wire)
Crime - St James's Square Shooting - Army Bomb Disposal Squad - Libyan People's Bureau - London(10 of17)
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Part of an Army Bomb Disposal Squad arrives at the rear of the former Libyan People's Bureau in St James's Square, London, when diplomatic immunity ended at the bureau following the 11-day siege. (credit:PA/PA Archive)
Crime - St James's Square Shooting - Libyan People's Bureau - London(11 of17)
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A policeman stands guard outside the Libyan People's Bureau in St James's Square, London, as the front door is opened for the first time since the building lost its diplomatic status to allow explosive experts to check the building for any explosive devices. (credit:PA/PA Archive)
Crime - St James's Square Shooting - Families Leaving Libyan Consulate Building - London(12 of17)
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Cars are loaded onto a low-loader outside one of the Libyan Consulate buildings in London as Libyan families prepare to leave before the Sunday midnight deadline. The siege of the Libyan People's Bureau in St James's Square, London, is now in its 10th day. (credit:PA/PA Archive)
Crime - 1984 Libyan Embassy Siege - St James's Square, London(13 of17)
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Police cordon off an area of St James's Square where the Libyan Peoples' Bureau is following the shooting of WPC Yvonne Fletcher, 25, who was helping to control a demonstration. The shooting lead to an 11 day siege. (credit:PA/PA Archive)
Crime - 1984 Libyan Embassy Siege - St James's Square, London(14 of17)
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Police Officers on a rooftop in St James's Square where the Libyan Peoples' Bureau is following the shooting of WPC Yvonne Fletcher, 25, who was helping to control a demonstration. The shooting lead to an 11 day siege. (credit:PA/PA Archive)
Crime - 1984 Libyan Embassy Siege - St James's Square, London(15 of17)
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The siege at the Libyan People's Bureau ends as Libyan diplomats leave the building to be taken to their homes to collect luggage and subsequently driven to Heathrow Airport for their flight home to Tripoli. The 30 Libyans left in groups of 5 after being besieged for 11 days following the shooting of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. (credit:PA/PA Archive)
Crime - 1984 Libyan Embassy Siege - St James's Square, London(16 of17)
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Police mobile control unit adjacent to St James's Square where the Libyan Peoples' Bureau is following the shooting of WPC Yvonne Fletcher, 25, who was helping to control a demonstration. The shooting lead to an 11 day siege. (credit:PA/PA Archive)
Crime - St James's Square Shooting - Roof-top Route Home For Workers - London(17 of17)
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The roof-top route home for London workers in the cordoned off St James's Square when the siege at the Libyan People's Bureau entered its eighth day. (credit:PA/PA Archive)

TIMELINE OF EVENTS

17 April 1984:

WPC Yvonne Fletcher, 25, is shot by a sniper while policing a protest outside the Libyan embassy in St James's Square, London, and 11 students are wounded.

She is pronounced dead shortly afterwards at Westminster Hospital. Her killer is thought to have been smuggled out of the country and back to Libya after the shooting. Her death leads to an 11-day siege of the building and the severing of diplomatic links between the UK and Libya.

1999:

The Libyan government accepts "general responsibility" for the killing and agrees to pay compensation to WPC Fletcher's family. British detectives also fly to Libya around that time to interview suspects but reportedly got little help.

2004:

Efforts to investigate the killing are stepped up when then Prime Minister Tony Blair meets Colonel Gaddafi after he agrees to dismantle his country's weapons of mass destruction.

April 2007:

A report into WPC Fletcher's death names the man who fired the fatal shot but concludes there is not enough evidence to bring a murder charge.

June 2007:

British detectives are able to interview the chief suspect for the first time following the normalisation of political ties with Libya. Detectives spend seven weeks in Libya interviewing witnesses and suspects.

September 2009:

It emerges that the Foreign Office has conceded that any trial for the shooting will take place in Tripoli. It is reported that the agreement was struck three years previously, when trade deals worth hundreds of millions of pounds were being negotiated. Campaigners for Wpc Fletcher's family brand the matter "an absolute disgrace".

February 2011:

Major political protests begin in Libya against Gaddafi's government and civil war breaks out.

August 2011:

The Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) says that Abdulqadir al-Baghdadi, one of the suspects for Wpc Fletcher's murder, has been shot in the head. Junior diplomat Abdulmagid Salah Ameri, who was suspected of firing the fatal shots, is also thought to have died. The last named suspect in the killing believed to be still alive is Matouk Mohammed Matouk.

20 October, 2011:

Gaddafi dies after being captured by rebel troops, leading to scenes of wild jubilation in the country he formerly ruled as well as across the world. His death leads to new hope that Wpc Fletcher's killer will be brought to justice.

November 2011

A senior British diplomat says he is confident that Scotland Yard detectives will soon be allowed to visit Libya.

24 May, 2012:

Prime Minister David Cameron announces that a Metropolitan Police team is to fly to Libya to continue the investigation.

Murdered Yvonne Fletcher remembered
Memorial Service To Mark The 30th Anniversary Of WPC Yvonne Fletcher Death(01 of26)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: Flowers with messages of condolence lay beneath a memorial stone after a service for the murdered Police woman Yvonne Fletcher in St James' Square on April 17, 2014 in London, England. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police joined friends and family for the service which marked the 25th anniversary of her death. Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy while policing peaceful demonstrations in 1984. No one has ever been charged with her murder. WPC Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was helping to control a small demonstration outside the Libyan embassy in St James's Square, London when she was killed by automatic gunfire on April 17, 1984. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Murdered Yvonne Fletcher remembered(02 of26)
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A police officer places a floral tribute during a memorial service held in St James Square, London, to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the death of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. (credit:PA)
Murdered Yvonne Fletcher remembered(03 of26)
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Floral tributes left during a memorial service held in St James Square, London, to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the death of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. (credit:PA)
Murdered Yvonne Fletcher remembered(04 of26)
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Police officers stand beside floral tributes during a memorial service held in St, James Square, London, to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the death of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. (credit:PA)
Murdered Yvonne Fletcher remembered(05 of26)
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Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe during a memorial service held in St James Square, London, to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the death of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. (credit:PA)
Murdered Yvonne Fletcher remembered(06 of26)
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A police officer hands out copies of the Order of Service during a memorial service held in St James Square, London, to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the death of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. (credit:PA)
Murdered Yvonne Fletcher remembered(07 of26)
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The immediate family of slain police officer Yvonne Fletcher (left to right) Heather Allbrook, Sarah Parson, Queenie Fletcher, and Tim Fletcher during a memorial service held in St James Square, London, to mark the thirtieth anniversary of her death. (credit:PA)
Murdered Yvonne Fletcher remembered(08 of26)
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The family of slain police officer Yvonne Fletcher including her parents Queenie Fletcher (centre right), and Tim Fletcher (centre left) alongside Reverend Jonathan Osborne (right) arrive to attend a memorial service held in St James Square, London, to mark the thirtieth anniversary of her death. (credit:PA)
Murdered Yvonne Fletcher remembered(09 of26)
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A mourner (name not given) pays tribute during a memorial service held in St James Square, London, to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the death of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. (credit:PA)
Murdered Yvonne Fletcher remembered(10 of26)
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Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe places a floral tribute during a memorial service held in St James Square, London, to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the death of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. (credit:PA)
Murdered Yvonne Fletcher remembered(11 of26)
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Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe places a floral tribute during a memorial service held in St James Square, London, to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the death of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. (credit:PA)
Murdered Yvonne Fletcher remembered(12 of26)
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The immediate family of slain police officer Yvonne Fletcher during a memorial service held in St James Square, London, to mark the thirtieth anniversary of her death. (credit:PA)
Murdered Yvonne Fletcher remembered(13 of26)
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Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe salutes during a memorial service held in St James Square, London, to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the death of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. (credit:PA)
Murdered Yvonne Fletcher remembered(14 of26)
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A police officer stands beside floral tributes during a memorial service held in St James Square, London, to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the death of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. (credit:PA)
Murdered Yvonne Fletcher remembered(15 of26)
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Floral tributes left during a memorial service held in St James Square, London, to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the death of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. (credit:PA)
Murdered Yvonne Fletcher remembered(16 of26)
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The immediate family of slain police officer Yvonne Fletcher (left to right) Heather Allbrook, Sarah Parson, Queenie Fletcher, and Tim Fletcher during a memorial service held in St James Square, London, to mark the thirtieth anniversary of her death. (credit:PA)
Memorial Service To Mark The 30th Anniversary Of WPC Yvonne Fletcher Death(17 of26)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, (R) the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police lays a wreath during a memorial service for the murdered Police woman Yvonne Fletcher in St James' Square on April 17, 2014 in London, England. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police joined friends and family for the service which marked the 25th anniversary of her death. Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy while policing peaceful demonstrations in 1984. No one has ever been charged with her murder. WPC Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was helping to control a small demonstration outside the Libyan embassy in St James's Square, London when she was killed by automatic gunfire on April 17, 1984. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Memorial Service To Mark The 30th Anniversary Of WPC Yvonne Fletcher Death(18 of26)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: A Police woman holds an order of service during a memorial service for the murdered Police woman Yvonne Fletcher in St James' Square on April 17, 2014 in London, England. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police joined friends and family for the service which marked the 25th anniversary of her death. Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy while policing peaceful demonstrations in 1984. No one has ever been charged with her murder. WPC Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was helping to control a small demonstration outside the Libyan embassy in St James's Square, London when she was killed by automatic gunfire on April 17, 1984. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Memorial Service To Mark The 30th Anniversary Of WPC Yvonne Fletcher Death(19 of26)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: A man pays his respects after a service for the murdered Police woman Yvonne Fletcher in St James' Square on April 17, 2014 in London, England. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police joined friends and family for the service which marked the 25th anniversary of her death. Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy while policing peaceful demonstrations in 1984. No one has ever been charged with her murder. WPC Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was helping to control a small demonstration outside the Libyan embassy in St James's Square, London when she was killed by automatic gunfire on April 17, 1984. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Memorial Service To Mark The 30th Anniversary Of WPC Yvonne Fletcher Death(20 of26)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: Flowers with messages of condolence lay beneath a memorial stone after a service for the murdered Police woman Yvonne Fletcher in St James' Square on April 17, 2014 in London, England. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police joined friends and family for the service which marked the 25th anniversary of her death. Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy while policing peaceful demonstrations in 1984. No one has ever been charged with her murder. WPC Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was helping to control a small demonstration outside the Libyan embassy in St James's Square, London when she was killed by automatic gunfire on April 17, 1984. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Memorial Service To Mark The 30th Anniversary Of WPC Yvonne Fletcher Death(21 of26)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police (L) Tim Fletcher (C) and Queenie Fletcher (R) listen during a memorial service for the murdered Police woman Yvonne Fletcher in St James' Square on April 17, 2014 in London, England. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police joined friends and family for the service which marked the 25th anniversary of her death. Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy while policing peaceful demonstrations in 1984. No one has ever been charged with her murder. WPC Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was helping to control a small demonstration outside the Libyan embassy in St James's Square, London when she was killed by automatic gunfire on April 17, 1984. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Murdered Yvonne Fletcher remembered(22 of26)
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Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe (left) sits beside Tim Fletcher and Queenie Fletcher (right) during a memorial service held in St James Square, London, to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the death of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. (credit:PA)
Memorial Service To Mark The 30th Anniversary Of WPC Yvonne Fletcher Death(23 of26)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police (L) Tim Fletcher (2nd L) Queenie Fletcher (3rd L) Heather Aldbrook (3rd R) and Sarah Parson (R) listen during a memorial service for the murdered Police woman Yvonne Fletcher in St James' Square on April 17, 2014 in London, England. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police joined friends and family for the service which marked the 25th anniversary of her death. Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy while policing peaceful demonstrations in 1984. No one has ever been charged with her murder. WPC Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was helping to control a small demonstration outside the Libyan embassy in St James's Square, London when she was killed by automatic gunfire on April 17, 1984. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Memorial Service To Mark The 30th Anniversary Of WPC Yvonne Fletcher Death(24 of26)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: Police Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick (C) listens during a memorial service for the murdered Police woman Yvonne Fletcher in St James' Square on April 17, 2014 in London, England. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police joined friends and family for the service which marked the 25th anniversary of her death. Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy while policing peaceful demonstrations in 1984. No one has ever been charged with her murder. WPC Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was helping to control a small demonstration outside the Libyan embassy in St James's Square, London when she was killed by automatic gunfire on April 17, 1984. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Memorial Service To Mark The 30th Anniversary Of WPC Yvonne Fletcher Death(25 of26)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police (L) Tim Fletcher (2nd L) Queenie Fletcher (3rd L) listen during a memorial service for the murdered Police woman Yvonne Fletcher in St James' Square on April 17, 2014 in London, England. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police joined friends and family for the service which marked the 25th anniversary of her death. Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy while policing peaceful demonstrations in 1984. No one has ever been charged with her murder. WPC Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was helping to control a small demonstration outside the Libyan embassy in St James's Square, London when she was killed by automatic gunfire on April 17, 1984. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Memorial Service To Mark The 30th Anniversary Of WPC Yvonne Fletcher Death(26 of26)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police (L) Tim Fletcher (C) Queenie Fletcher (R) listen during a memorial service for the murdered Police woman Yvonne Fletcher in St James' Square on April 17, 2014 in London, England. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police joined friends and family for the service which marked the 25th anniversary of her death. Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy while policing peaceful demonstrations in 1984. No one has ever been charged with her murder. WPC Yvonne Fletcher, 25, was helping to control a small demonstration outside the Libyan embassy in St James's Square, London when she was killed by automatic gunfire on April 17, 1984. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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