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London: British police were unable to arrest an Israeli general wanted for alleged war crimes, amid fears of a possible confrontation at Heathrow airport.
According to a report on the BBC, Major General Doron Almog flew back to Israel, escaping arrest, after British police decided not to board his plane in September 2005.
Following a tip off from the Israeli Embassy concerning a possible warrant for his arrest, Almog stayed on board for two hours.
Police were concerned about a potential clash with air marshals or possible armed personal security on the plane and initially refused involvement.
However, lawyers acting on behalf of Palestinian campaigners were able to get an arrest warrant for Almog.
Campaigners say that in 2002, more than 50 homes in the Gaza strip were destroyed in retaliation for a Palestinian attack that killed four Israeli soldiers.
Authorities were refused entry onto the El Al flight.
In a report, Det Supt MacBrayne, the investigating officer at the time, noted that this matter posed potential risks to the police and public, as well as significant international impact.
The planned arrest sparked Israeli foreign minister Silvan Shaom to declare the incident an “outrage”, causing then UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw to apologise for any embarrassment.
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