PARIS, Sept. 1 -- Seven photographers are still in the custody of French police (Monday) in connection with the violent car crash that killed Diana, Princess of Wales, her companion Dodi al-Fayed and a chauffeur. Sources say police will try to hold the six Frenchmen and one Macedonian for at least another 24 hours while they investigate their role in the crash.
Pictures taken by paparazzi of Diana lying mortally wounded in the wrecked Mercedes have been offered to media outlets worldwide but so far there have been no takers. The British Press Association reported that a sum of up to $1 million was being demanded for a picture of the crash scene. Police are analyzing 20 rolls of film seized from the photographers who pursued Diana on motorcycles in an effort to obtain clues to the crash, which resulted from the car trying to escape the paparazzi. Also, there are reports that bystanders may also have snapped shots of the accident and disappeared into the night. Newspapers and tabloids were quick to deny they would use pictures of the accident. Steve Coz, editor of the U.S. tabloid The National Enquirer, said he had been offered pictures of the crash for around $1 million but declined the offer. In Britain, the News of the World said a French photographer attempted to sell pictures of Diana trapped in the car for nearly $150, 000 but it, too, refused to buy the photographs. ---
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