There have been numerous attempts on Col Gaddafi's life. The last reported attempt to kill him was two months ago, when gunmen opened fire on his entourage near Benghazi. In 1986, the Thatcher government approved an air attack by British-based United States bombers on barracks where he slept. Mr Shayler first came to public attention a year ago when he told the British newspaper, the Mail on Sunday, that MI5 held thousands of files on people, including Labour ministers it once considered potentially subversive, and he accused the agency of bungling operations. A government injunction prevented newspapers from publishing further claims by Mr Shayler, who had fled to France.
British newspapers are again unsure about whether they can publish the allegations.
The Guardian sought clarification from the British government about whether it was free to repeat the allegations in the New York Times . In an attempt to seek further clarification, reference was made by the Guardian to the European Court of Human Rights judgment in the Spycatcher case, which ruled that to prevent publication of material which had appeared elsewhere was a breach of the right to freedom of expression. The BBC has also questioned the injunction in the past 24 hours. It has been conducting an investigation into the allegations and has amassed further information about the alleged plot. John Wadham, Mr Shayler's lawyer and director of the civil rights group, Liberty, said yesterday he was trying to free him from jail in Paris, as he began to fight the Government's request to extradite Mr Shayler to Britain, where he faces charges under the Official Secrets Act.