Senior figures in the British military have criticised the
Army for its "mishandling" of allegations that an SAS hit squad was
behind the death of Princess Diana and her lover, Dodi Fayed.
Scotland Yard is investigating claims by a former SAS sniper
that Diana was murdered in a hit "arranged" by the SAS, according to
a British tabloid.
The commando, known as Soldier N, is alleged to have told
his wife that the Princess was killed when an SAS unit flashed a blinding light
at the princess's vehicle, causing the driver, Henri Paul, to crash into a
pillar as he entered a Paris underpass.
The allegations first surfaced in a seven-page letter
written by Soldier N's mother-in-law in September 2011 after the disintegration
of her daughter's marriage, the Daily Express reported.
The claims chime with the testimony of an ex-MI6 spy at the
inquest into Diana and Dodi's death. The agent said he knew of a British plan
to kill Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic by using a strobe light in a tunnel
to distract his driver.
The same agent also revealed the existence of a secret SAS
unit known as "The Increment", which specialised in lethal MI6
operations.
The original accusations against the SAS were passed to
Scotland Yard in July, following the complaint by Dodi's father, the former
Harrods owner Mohammed al Fayed.
Detective Chief Inspector Philip Easton and a colleague at
Scotland Yard interviewed Soldier N's former wife and mother-in-law two weeks
ago.
The letter containing the original allegations was handed to
police after the court martial of SAS sniper Danny Nightingale in July.
Soldier N was sentenced to two years imprisonment for
possession of illegal firearms in 2011. Allegations that the SAS was involved
in Diana's death emerged soon afterwards.
One senior military source said: "The handling of this
very serious allegation could not have been worse. The question is, was this
failure to act due to incompetence or a cover-up?"
Police said the information was being analysed as part of a
"scoping exercise". No new investigation will be launched.
The Express has long campaigned for more scrutiny into the
circumstances surrounding the Princess's death.
It said David Cameron, the prime minister, had been sent a
copy of the letter, along with the head of the army, General Sir Peter Wall and
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, but that they had all failed to act.
Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence were informed of
the allegations concerning the SAS in February in a letter from soldier N's
wife, the Express reported.
On 1 March, a Downing Street official acknowledged receipt
of the letter, writing: "I am writing on behalf of the Prime Minister to
thank you for the copy of your letter and enclosure of 11 February addressed to
the Chief of the General Staff.
"I was sorry to hear of the difficulties you are
experiencing. Mr Cameron appreciates you taking the time and trouble to share
your concerns."
General Wall replied to the letter on 4 March but, like
Cameron, made no mention of the allegations concerning Diana.
His note concludes by adding that he was copying the letter
to "the Director of Special Forces and the Commanding Officer of the
Special Air Service Regiment".
Diana, Fayed and Paul were all killed in the crash in the
Pont de L'Alma tunnel on 31 August 1997.
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