An Israeli general facing a war crimes warrant was allowed to leave Heathrow because armed police feared a gun fight with his bodyguards.
According to documents from the Independent Police Complaints Commission Major General Doron Almog flew back to Israel after armed police refused to board his plane in September 2005.
He had flown in to London for a charitable visit to Jewish communities, but after receiving a tip off that police were waiting to execute a warrant brought by Palestinian war crimes campaigners, remained on the plane.
The campaigners had secured the warrant for a private prosecution, alleging May Gen Almog had ordered the destruction of more than 50 homes in the Gaza Strip in 2002.
Media reports say the IPCC documents show the armed police could not get confirmation they had the right to board the plane.
They also had concerns about armed marshals on the El Al plane as well as possible body guards.
The IPCC found the officers had not broken any rules by not boarding the plane.
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