Inquiry Demanded into Jill Dando Murder Linked to Serb Assassin
Amidst the emergence of compelling new evidence, former Downing Street communications director Alastair Campbell has called for a renewed investigation into the unsolved murder of Jill Dando. The fresh revelations center around a possible link to the infamous Serb assassin Milorad Ulemek, raising suspicions of retaliatory action over NATO’s 1999 bombing of Serbia during the Yugoslav conflict.
Campbell, who served as Tony Blair’s spin doctor during the period, penned in his diaries about his shock and concern upon hearing of Dando’s untimely demise. He speculated on the possibility of Serb retaliation for NATO’s targeting of their media infrastructure, part of the military campaign to halt atrocities in Kosovo.
Three days before Dando’s murder on April 26, 1999, NATO forces had struck the Radio-Television Serbia headquarters in Belgrade, killing 16 employees including journalists. This action followed another NATO attack on a separate television station owned by the late dictator Slobodan Milosevic’s daughter.
Dando, known for her humanitarian advocacy, had recently made an appeal on behalf of Kosovan refugees遭受ing brutal treatment at the hands of Milosevic’s forces. Within hours of her death, a phone call was received claiming responsibility for the assassination as an act of retribution for the bombings.
Campbell’s diary entry on the day of Dando’s murder described her as “easily one of the nicest people on TV.” He expressed his fears that the attack could have been a response to the NATO strikes against Serbian media outlets, seen as part of their military apparatus.
Additional support for a fresh investigation comes from Plaid Cymru’s Justice spokesperson, Liz Saville Roberts MP, and BBC presenter Jennie Bond. They emphasize the importance of taking seriously the evidence presented by The Mirror’s investigation, especially for the sake of Dando’s family who have endured decades of unresolved grief.
Key among the new findings is the identification of Ulemek by a crucial eyewitness as the individual seen fleeing the crime scene moments after Dando’s murder. This witness had previously picked out Ulemek in CCTV footage from a nearby underground station. Former Tory MP Patrick Mercer, who served in Bosnia with the British Army, has long maintained his suspicion of a Serb connection to the assassination.
Mercer urges a thorough examination of the original CCTV footage using modern techniques. Former Home Secretary Lord David Blunkett, a member of Tony Blair’s Labour government at the time, also supports a cold case review and a comprehensive search for new evidence. He stresses the ongoing danger posed by the perpetrator and the significance of bringing closure to this unsolved crime.
