London, Oct 16 : A motorist, who witnessed the car crash that killed Princess Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed, has claimed that he had seen two hitmen on a motorcycle directing a "major white flash" at the princess’ car in the Alma underpass moments before the tragedy.

Francois Levistre was driving ahead of the Mercedes carrying the princess when the fatal accident happened in the Paris tunnel on 31 Aug 1997.

Speaking via video link from the French capital, Levistre told the inquest into the deaths of Diana and Dodi that the Princess' car was overtaken by a motorcycle inside the underpass.

He then told the jury that he saw a very bright flash, just like the light from a police radar, being directed at the Mercedes.

"I realised there was this major white flash of the motorbike in front of the Mercedes, in front of the car. I was nearly at the exit of the tunnel and I realised that because I heard the noise of the motorbike within the tunnel,” the Daily Express quoted Levistre, as saying.

"I just wondered what happened because the light was like you were caught by the police in a radar,” he added.

He concluded that the power of the flash was much greater than that produced by a normal photographer’s flash. He also told the court that he had not seen any photographers in the tunnel in the immediate aftermath of the crash.

Levistre, who saw the events in his rear-view mirror, described how the Mercedes swerved from side to side before it turned around.

"When I saw the light, I looked into the mirror... I saw the car going from left to right to left again to get within the pillar. The car had no light any longer. Everything was switched off,” he said.

He told the jury the bike stopped and the pillion passenger walked over to the wrecked car, inspected it then signalled his aide that they needed to move quickly out of the Alma tunnel in Paris.

“They were dressed in all black with helmets. And the passenger went to the car, looked into the car – because from my mirror I could see everything that was happening – and the passenger he made a gesture with his hands,” he said.

Asked why he had not left his car to help those in the crash, Levistre answered: “Fear.” Asked what he had been afraid of, he replied: “Just like I said, I thought they were hitmen.”

Levistre played down the paparazzi theory by saying that there was nobody in the tunnel except for him and the bike riders.

“I could hear the word ‘paparazzi, paparazzi,’ but actually I knew that there were no photographers, I knew that there was nobody else up there,” he said.

He added that he saw a small white car in the tunnel, but maintained that there was no contact between it and the Mercedes. (ANI)