Linda Norgrove soldier feared for safety

The American soldier who killed kidnapped aid worker Linda Norgrove during a botched rescue mission in Afghanistan "genuinely feared" for the safety of himself and his comrades and had to make a "critical decision in a fraction of a second", a coroner concluded yesterday.

Giving a narrative verdict at the end of an inquest into Ms Norgrove's death, Wiltshire coroner David Ridley also said the soldier, who threw a grenade in the compound where she was being held, had "acted unaware of Linda's presence".

Ms Norgrove, 36, was seized last September. Her family said: "A series of chance events all going the wrong way and an error of judgement by one of the special forces resulted in our daughter's death. She was a lovely girl, had so much to offer and was such a force for good in the world. We miss her terribly. The whole affair is a tragedy."