Pinochet claimed he was a patriot saving his country from the threat of communism. His austere rule proved increasingly unpopular. In 1990 he was forced to stand down. In 1998 he relinquished the role of commander in chief and became senator for life. The same year he arrived in London with a Chilean military delegation intending to purchase engineering equipment.
The former dictator stayed for medical treatment but was arrested on an extradition request from Spain. He spent nearly two years under house arrest while legal argument raged through the courts. He was allowed to go home in March 2000 when the home secretary, Jack Straw, ruled he was not well enough to stand trial. On his return a Chilean court stripped him of immunity from prosecution.
Attempts to bring him to court for human rights abuses have been foiled by rulings that he is mentally unfit. He is facing investigations for tax evasion and human rights abuses. This year it was revealed that during the Falklands war, under a deal secretly negotiated with Pinochet, the SAS used Chile as a base to attack Argentina's airfields.