Manhunt over

Following one of Britain's biggest ever manhunts, 37-year-old Raoul Moat shot himself in a field in Rothbury in northeastern England after six hours of negotiations with the police late Friday evening.

A police statement confirmed that Moat, who had been on the run for a week, "died in hospital" after he was rushed from the scene by ambulance early on Saturday.

Moat was wanted for shooting his ex-girlfriend, who was seriously injured as a result of the attack, and her new partner, who died. He then shot and seriously wounded a policeman and went on to declare "war" against the police in a letter – sparking a manhunt that involved officers from across the United Kingdom.

Hours of negotiations

Police said they found Moat, a former nightclub bouncer and father of three who had just been released from prison, in the village of Rothbury in northeastern England at around 7 pm local time.

"Expert negotiators were brought in to speak to him and spoke to him extensively for several hours, but at around 1:15 am, it appears, from information available, Moat shot himself,” said a statement from Northumbria Police.

Earlier in the week, detectives arrested two people accused of helping Moat and imposed an exclusion zone around part of the village.

Hundreds of police officers, from as far afield as Northern Ireland and London were drafted onto the case - which dominated domestic television news channels and tabloid newspapers.

Author: Richard Connor (AFP/dpa)
Editor: Sonia Phalnikar