'Very disturbed teenager wanted to shoot Queen Elizabeth'

- Queen Elizabeth escaped an assassination attempt more than 36 years ago. A teenager shot in 1981 on the Queen during her visit to New Zealand Dunedin, confirmed the intelligence service of the country Thursday.

Stories that the loud bang that bystanders heard on October 14, 1981 was not a falling sign but a gunshot, had been around for some time. From documents released by the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service, it appears that the then seventeen-year-old Christopher Lewis had wanted to kill the queen.

The 'very disturbed' teenager, however, was not in the right place to be able to touch Elizabeth, according to the file that Reuters saw. Also, the weapon that Lewis shot at the Queen was not powerful enough to hit her from a great distance.

Back then, the official story was that a sign fell over, with a bang as a result. Lewis was not charged with attempted murder or high treason, which rumored about a cover-up. The police of New Zealand now, more than 36 years later, are still investigating the secrecy of the incident.

Lewis was suspected years later of the murder of a mother in Auckland and the kidnapping of her baby. He put an end to his life in prison in 1997.