Marxist group admits killing British diplomat

Marxist gunmen who killed the British defence attache in Greece yesterday say they did it because of his role in Kosovo last year.

A group calling itself November Seventeen described Brigadier Stephen Saunders as a coordinator of NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia.

British officials described this as absolute nonsense; they said Brigadier Saunders was with the UN observer mission on Iraq when the bombing of Kosovo started. He was killed as he drove to work at the British embassy in Athens.

Forensic scientists said the murder weapon was a pistol used by the guerrillas on previous occasions.

British police have gone to Greece to help in the investigation.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service