Man executed with machinegun outside club

A man shot dead outside a London nightclub as he talked to friends was the target of a gangster-style "execution".

The 35-year-old was hit at least three times in the head and neck at close range by a man who calmly produced a machinegun from the boot of his car outside Club Red in Limehouse.

Club staff and medics tried to save the man's life but he was pronounced dead at the scene in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Witnesses said the gunman had pulled up in a car near a bus stop on Butcher Row. One said: "I saw this guy go to the back of his car, open up his boot and pull out a machinegun.

"Then he went over and shot this other man. It was terrifying, like something from a gangster film."

A barman at Club Red, who asked not to be named, said: "My colleague came running past me with two first aid cases saying there had been three shots fired outside. By the time I got there I saw someone lying on the floor and he was quickly covered up in a blanket. There was blood everywhere.

"The doormen had already tried to save his life but it was clear he was badly wounded."

The shooting caused panic among the 400 people in the club, leading to outbreaks of fighting as staff sealed exits and shut everyone in. One clubber said a brawl broke out and a glass table in the VIP area was smashed.

Both the gunman and the victim were black and the murder inquiry is being handled by Operation Trident.

Police were today questioning a man in his twenties after he was arrested when he voluntarily attended a south London police station over the shooting.

Police still do not know the identity of the victim but believe he came from west London.

The club's owner, who gave her name only as Karen, insisted the victim had not been in the club.

She said: "It was an extremely unfortunate incident that took place outside the club."