Newly released documents show Libya warned British officials on eve of 1984 embassy shooting

LONDON – Newly released files show that British officials were warned about possible violence the night before policewoman Yvonne Fletcher was shot dead in 1984 by a gunman inside the Libyan embassy in London.

The documents, released Friday by Britain's National Archives, show that Libyan officials in Tripoli and London said the Libyan government would not be held responsible if there was violence at a planned anti-government rally outside the Libyan People's Bureau in London.

Fletcher was killed and 10 others injured when a gunman inside the bureau opened fire on protesters and police.

The files show that British ambassador Oliver Miles was summoned by Libyan officials in Tripoli the night before the slaying. They complained that the planned demonstration against Moammar Gadhafi's government represented an unacceptable threat to the embassy's security.