Royal Navy serviceman held after an officer died of gunshot wounds on board the nuclear-powered submarine HMS Astute
A Royal Navy serviceman is being held on suspicion of murder after an officer died of gunshot wounds and a second was seriously injured on board a nuclear-powered submarine.
HMS Astute was docked in Southampton on a goodwill visit. Dignitaries including the city's mayor were having lunch on board and a group of children was on the quayside at the time.
There were calls for a full and open inquiry to establish if the public was in danger and campaigners said it should prompt a rethink about the wisdom of using nuclear submarines.
The police and navy emphasised that submarine security was not breached and were convinced it was not a terrorist incident. A navy spokesman said: "There is no nuclear incident ."
It is understood that the two victims were male officers and the weapon was an SA80 rifle. The alleged shooter is understood to have been on sentry duty and the shooting happened during a changeover between shifts.
It is understood he was grabbed by other navy personnel who handed him over to Ministry of Defence police there as part of the civic visit.
Sources said the motive was unclear. The ambulance service said the man who was killed was certified dead on board.Police said the second man suffered "significant injuries" but described his condition as stable.
Among the visitors were the leader of Southampton city council, Royston Smith, the mayor, Carol Cunio, and the chief executive, Alistair Meill. They remained on board for several hours while police took statements. A council spokesman said: "As when any ship comes in, they went on board for a lunch and a look around."
Forensic experts were working on board and Hampshire police's major crime department were interviewing everyone aboard, around 30 people. All crew will eventually be questioned.
John Denham, the Labour MP for Southampton Itchen and a former cabinet member, expressed concern about security. He said: "I will be asking ministers to ensure this incident is fully explained with complete openness about any potential risk to the public."
Di McDonald, chair of the Nuclear Information Service, which promotes awareness of nuclear disarmament, said the incident ought to prompt a rethink on the value of confining men in such an unnatural and pressurised environment.
Adele Stevens, 24, who was sunbathing in a park opposite the docks, said: "I'd be worried to hear about any shooting but to hear it has happened on a nuclear sub is even more worrying ? the bullet could have bounced off anything."
The government said it was important not to pre-judge the police investigation. Liam Fox, the defence secretary, said: "It is right and proper that a full police investigation is carried out. My thoughts and sympathies are with those affected."
Astute, which has a crew of 98, was the first of a new class of nuclear-powered attack submarine.
The five-day visit to Southampton was billed as the first time members of the public outside of Scotland and the north-west of England, where she was built, would get to see her. The submarine was due to leave Southampton tomorrow ) but her departure is likely to be delayed.
She was launched in 2007 and commissioned last year only to hit the headlines when she grounded off Skye in October.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/apr/08/submarine-shooting-sentry-murder-hms-astute
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