"Gunned down to impress America"

Several senior police officers have been charged with murder. After a lengthy investigation, the Macedonian authorities have admitted that the six Pakistanis and one Indian were simply illegal immigrants, trying to get to Greece to find work on the Olympic sites, or anywhere else. "This was the act of a sick mind," Mirjana Konteska, a Macedonian official, said. "They lost their lives in a stage murder [so the police and officials] could present themselves as participants in the war against terror."

The seven were picked up as they entered Macedonia through Bulgaria. They were detained for several days before being driven to a spot en route to the US embassy. Then they were shot.

Mr Boskovski claimed that his forces had foiled a major terrorist attack on the US embassy, and that bags of guns and uniforms were found on the "mojahedin fighters". www.guardian.co.uk