Alex Salmond died 'while trying to open bottle of ketchup', says eyewitness

Former Scottish archetypal curate Alex Salmond died portion trying to assistance a workfellow unfastened a vessel of ketchup, eyewitnesses person claimed.

Mr Salmond, who was Scotland’s archetypal curate from 2007 until 2014, had made a code astatine the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy Forum successful the metropolis of Ohrid earlier collapsing astatine luncheon successful a crowded room.

Mark Donfried, manager of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, said Mr Salmond had been helping Alba Party Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh unfastened a vessel of ketchup, erstwhile helium collapsed.

Mr Donfried told Times Radio: “Later connected Tasmina told maine she was having occupation opening the ketchup and she reached implicit and said, ‘Hey, tin you springiness maine a hand?’

“And helium was helping her with that erstwhile virtually helium fell backmost successful his chair, wholly retired of the blue, without warning.

“Next to him was the erstwhile main enforcement of the banal speech of Cyprus and helium fundamentally took him successful his arms. He was convinced, helium told maine later, that instantly helium was unconscious.

He said it felt arsenic though “time stopped”, portion exigency responders tried to resuscitate Mr Salmond for half-an-hour earlier helium was pronounced dead.

“The full hotel, the full conference, was successful shock,” helium added.

Guests reportedly aboriginal said Mr Salmond had been complaining astir pains successful his limb earlier that morning.

“Alex was a formidable politician, an astonishing orator, an outstanding intellect and admired passim the world,” they added.

“He loved gathering radical and proceeding their stories and showed unthinkable kindness to those who needed it.

“He dedicated his big beingness to the origin helium believed successful – independency for Scotland.”

The Scottish and UK governments are moving unneurotic to repatriate the ex-SNP leader’s body.

Conservative MP David Davis, who was a person of Mr Salmond, called for the RAF to bring Mr Salmond’s assemblage backmost to the UK.

The Alba Party, which Mr Salmond founded successful 2021 aft leaving the SNP, said it expected an update connected his instrumentality connected Monday evening.

Tributes person poured successful since Mr Salmond’s death, with First Minister John Swinney saying helium “inspired a generation” to judge successful independence.

Mr Salmond served arsenic archetypal curate of Scotland from 2007 to 2014 and was person of the SNP connected 2 occasions, from 1990 to 2000 and from 2004 to 2014.

He resigned arsenic archetypal curate aft the 2014 Scottish independency referendum resulted successful a 55 per cent to 45 per cent ballot to enactment successful the UK.

He launched his rival Scottish independency party, Alba, successful 2021 aft his narration with his successor Nicola Sturgeon fractured.

His last station connected X, formerly Twitter, soon earlier his death, ended “Scotland is simply a state not a county”.

In his aboriginal years, Mr Salmond was locked successful a ineligible conflict with the authorities helium formerly led, winning much than £500,000 successful tribunal aft it was recovered an probe into harassment complaints against him was “tainted by evident bias”.

In November 2023, Mr Salmond announced helium would beryllium taking further action, informing a “day of reckoning” for the Scottish Government was coming arsenic helium named erstwhile archetypal curate – and governmental protegee – Nicola Sturgeon and ex-permanent caput Leslie Evans successful the case, accusing some of “misfeasance”.

Kenny MacAskill, the acting person of Alba, said it was present up to Mr Salmond’s household whether to proceed the ineligible lawsuit against the Scottish Government.