The son of Glasgow pensioner Janet McKay has said her family has no criticisms to make of the police investigation into her disappearance.

A body believed to be that of the 88-year-old, who had dementia, was found in Clydebank on Thursday.
Police Scotland later apologised to her relatives after it emerged information about a possible sighting last Friday was not passed on to the inquiry team.
The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner is looking at the case.
Speaking after details of the sighting emerged, Mrs McKay's son, George McKay, told BBC Scotland: "We've been very happy with the way the police have dealt with it - they've been very supportive to us.
"Any wider issues are a matter for Police Scotland but we have no criticisms to make of them."
In a statement issued through police, the family later said they were "devastated" and that their "dear mother" would be "sadly missed by everyone who knew her".
They added: "We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the support from the many officers involved in the search to locate our mother. We have been constantly updated on the progress of the investigation throughout."
Police Scotland said it would act immediately on any recommendations made by the PIRC.
Mrs McKay was last seen by her neighbours in the Knightswood area of Glasgow on Wednesday 16 September.
Only in recent days was it established that she had boarded a bus and had been recorded by CCTV cameras in the Clydebank area on the day of her disappearance.
Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Mawson from Police Scotland said: "During the course of this investigation into Janet's disappearance, a member of the public provided us with information of a possible sighting of Janet.
"This information was not passed to any of our call handling centres, nor to the inquiry team.
"Further information about this sighting was received at Police Scotland the following Tuesday, that's the 22 September. That was received at the call handling centre and it was immediately passed to the inquiry team."
He added: "Janet's body was then discovered after further extensive searches. I wish to offer my apologises on behalf of the service to Janet's family for any distress caused at the difficult time.""
The matter has been referred to the PIRC by both Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
The Scottish Police Authority, which providers oversight of police in Scotland, said it was "monitoring" the investigation.
ACC Mawson added: "We will take immediate action on any early learning identified by the PIRC as a result of their investigation."
The latest incident follows a review of Police Scotland's procedures following the deaths of John Yuill and Lamara Bell, who lay undiscovered next to the M9 near Stirling for days despite a sighting of their crashed car being reported to a police control room.
Chief Constable Sir Stephen House announced last month that he will stand down earlier than expected following sustained public and political criticism over apparent call-centre failings, and controversies over stop-and-search and armed police patrols.
Justice Secretary Michael Matheson told BBC Scotland it was important to establish "all of the facts" relating to the matter.
Speaking on the Good Morning Scotland programme, he said: "I think it's important that we allow the investigation by the PIRC to be taken forward and we shouldn't prejudice that by trying to pre-empt any of the matters around this particular incident."
Justice Secretary Michael Matheson told BBC Scotland it was important to establish "all of the facts" relating to the matter.
Speaking on the Good Morning Scotland programme, he said: "I think it's important that we allow the investigation by the PIRC to be taken forward and we shouldn't prejudice that by trying to pre-empt any of the matters around this particular incident."
Scottish Labour's justice spokesman Graeme Pearson said: "Coming so soon after the police failings around the M9 tragedy, it is very concerning that once again vital information from the public has not been passed on.
"The involvement of the PIRC is welcome, but any inquiry cannot be dragged out."
Willie Rennie, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said: "It is really important that we understand how information flows throughout Police Scotland so that we are actually reassured that this is a rare error, rather than a system problem."
Scottish Conservative justice spokeswoman Margaret Mitchell said: "Communication is obviously a big issue in the single force which must be addressed now urgently and as an absolute priority."
Calum Steele, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said incidents like this one were a rarity.
"Clearly the apology issued yesterday will raise some questions," he said.
"But we have a service that deals with over 10,000 calls a day. Over the course of a year we deal with more people than are in hospitals, children than there are in schools, and on the vast majority of occasions the public get an outstanding service."
In January 2014, police were criticised by the PIRC over their handling of the case of the 52-year-old man found dead after he had been reported missing.
The man was found in Edinburgh, three days after neighbours contacted police.
The PIRC said a lack of prompt action by officers was "a significant failing".
Police in Edinburgh were also criticised by the commissioner for their response to another missing person inquiry in October 2013, when a 39-year-old man with mental health problems, who had been taken home by officers, sustained serious injuries after falling from a block of flats in Leith.


A cancer patient in Edinburgh has been given twice the intended dosage of radiation by medical staff.

The patient was being given palliative radiotherapy last September at the Western General Hospital.
A Scottish government report said the patient was given a dosage 100% greater than prescribed and there was a "significant possibility of serious harm".
NHS Lothian said it had offered its "sincere apologies" to the patient.
The mistaken dosage was given to the patient between 14 and 18 September 2015.
Mistaken calculations were made by two radiologists based at the hospital, who both administered a double dose after apparently making the same error.
The report said "a number of mistakes" had been made by staff, saying these should have been avoided due to the experience of the radiologists involved.
However, it concluded that none of these mistakes could "clearly" be identified as wrongdoing or negligence.
The new incident comes 10 years after 15-year-old Lisa Norris was overexposed to radiation at the Beatson Oncology Centre in Glasgow.
She received an overdose 58% greater than intended, although her dosage was higher than that of the patient involved in the 2015 case.
Lisa subsequently died but her death was not related to the overdose.
Dr David Farquharson, medical director of NHS Lothian, said: "We offered our most sincere apologies to the patient and their family following this very unusual and deeply distressing incident.
"Since then, we have ensured that they have been kept informed throughout the full and thorough investigation and reporting stages of the process.
"Cases such as these are thankfully very rare, but as soon as it was identified, we implemented a series of measures to minimise the risk of a similar incident.
"We carried out a robust internal investigation and immediately informed the external inspector."
He added: "In the report the inspector has expressed his confidence in the dedication of the commitment of Edinburgh Cancer Centre staff to the safety of patients in their care and acknowledges the many thousands of life-saving radiotherapy treatments that are successfully prescribed, planned and delivered at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre every year.
"We fully accept the findings of the report and an action team has been created to ensure that each point will be implemented as a matter of urgency, if it has not already been identified during our own investigations."


Ex-England boss Sam Allardyce has said "entrapment has won" after newspaper allegations led to him stepping down as manager of the national side.

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Allardyce left in disgrace after just 67 days after The Daily Telegraph said he advised undercover reporters posing as businessmen how to "get around" player transfer rules.
He said it was a "silly thing to do".
But when asked if it was his last job in management, the 61-year-old said: "Who knows? We'll wait and see."
"Unfortunately it was an error of judgement on my behalf," added the former Sunderland manager. "I've paid the consequences. Entrapment has won on this occasion and I have to accept that."
The Daily Telegraph defended its investigation.
"We began looking into corruption in English football last year after receiving information about specific managers, officials and agents - before Allardyce was appointed England manager," said a spokesperson for the newspaper.
"We have an obligation to investigate important stories that are clearly within the public interest and adhere to our industry codes of practice in doing so."
Earlier, Allardyce told Sky Sports he had only attended the meeting with the undercover reporters as a favour to friend and agent Scott McGarvey, who he says was hoping to land a job out of it.
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The former Bolton, West Ham, Newcastle, Notts County and Blackburn boss was appointed England manager in July after Roy Hodgson left the role following the side's last-16 defeat by Iceland at Euro 2016.
The Football Association called his conduct "inappropriate" and said his contract was ended by mutual consent.
Speaking to reporters outside his home on Wednesday, Allardyce said: "The agreement was done very amicably with The FA and I apologise to those and all concerned in the unfortunate position I've put myself in."
Allardyce also wished "all the very best" to England Under-21s manager Gareth Southgate, who will take charge of the national side for the next four games, as well as the players and staff.
England's next match is a 2018 World Cup qualifier against Malta at Wembley on Saturday, 8 October. Malta lost 5-1 to Scotland earlier this month.
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Allardyce was filmed telling undercover reporters it was "not a problem" to bypass rules on third-party player ownership and claimed he knew of agents who were "doing it all the time".
Third-party ownership - when someone other than the buying and selling club owns a stake in a player, typically an investor - has been banned by the FA and world football's governing body Fifa.
The practice has also been described as a form of "slavery" by Michel Platini, the former president of European football's governing body Uefa.
The Telegraph investigation also claimed that a £400,000 deal was struck for Allardyce to represent the Far East firm the reporters claimed to work for and to be a keynote speaker at events, though Allardyce stressed he would have to "run that by" his employers, the FA, first.
Allardyce also referred to his predecessor Roy Hodgson as "Woy", making fun of his manner of speaking, criticised Gary Neville, one of Hodgson's assistants, and made comments about FA president Prince William. He also described another member of the Royal family, Prince Harry, as a "naughty boy".
Further details of the Telegraph's wide-ranging investigation are published in Wednesday's edition of the paper, including a claim that eight past and present Premier League managers received illicit payments for transfers.
Five of the eight, who have not been named, have denied the allegations while three are yet to comment, the paper says.
Allardyce was just two months into a two-year deal as England boss with a salary understood to be worth £3m a year.
Despite only being in charge for one game, the Daily Mail reported that he had received a "seven-figure pay-off" from the FA.
However, former FA chief executive David Bernstein said he hoped this was not the case, telling BBC Radio 5 live: "The hubris of it all is extraordinary.
"This is a man earning £3m a year. I wonder whether there's a pay-off or not. I hope not, because I don't think 50 or 60 days' work merits a pay-off.
"There's no question he brought the FA and football into disrepute and that's not acceptable. I have very little sympathy."
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"It's been a hugely disappointing couple of days for English football. It's very, very sad what's happened to Sam and it could happen to any of us. Sam innocently has paid the price. Privacy can only be found within the four walls of our own home." Steve McClaren
"I'm angry, I'm sad, I'm staggered at the misjudgement from a guy who said this was his dream job." Ex-England striker and BBC pundit Alan Shearer.
"I like Sam. I feel sorry. I know it was his dream job.  I like him and respect him." Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho.
"I've got a little bit of sympathy for him, but he gave the FA no choice." Former Wales midfielder Robbie Savage.
"If you want to be the England manager you have to be whiter than white and the Telegraph investigation shows he wasn't. This guy is being paid around £3m a year, why was he grubbing around trying to find £400,000 from somewhere?" Former FA chairman Greg Dyke.
"I don't think fans will be annoyed that he is explaining how to get around rules, I think it is more that he was chasing money around the world when the focus should have been on the England job." Former England defender Danny Mills.
"We have been clear that we expect the highest standards of governance and transparency from sports governing bodies, here in the UK and on the international stage. In this context, the recent allegations regarding English football are very concerning and we will be discussing the matter with the football authorities." Sports Minister Tracey Crouch.
After just one match in charge - a 1-0 win over Slovakia in England's opening game of their World Cup 2018 qualifying campaign - Allardyce becomes the national side's shortest-serving full-time manager.
The FA said it would begin its search for a new England manager while Southgate takes charge for the Malta game as well as World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Scotland plus a friendly with Spain. Allardyce was due to name his next squad on Sunday.
Former England striker Michael Owen has backed Southgate to perform well as caretaker and secure the job permanently.
"If he wins all four games it will take a brave man to say 'let's change it now'," said Owen. "Possession is nine tenths of the law, isn't it?"
Bookmakers have named Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe, Crystal Palace's Alan Pardew and former Hull manager Steve Bruce, as some of the other main candidates for the vacant position.
Another is the USA's German coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who on Wednesday distanced himself from the role.
Read more: Candidates for the England job
BBC Sport chief football writer Phil McNulty
Allardyce went abroad on Wednesday, visibly devastated he had engineered the downfall of his long-held dream to manage England after only 67 days.
Once the dust has settled on an episode that provides much personal humiliation for him, will one of English football's most durable managerial figures ever contemplate a return to the game?
He did not rule it out - and the smart money will be on several chairmen not ruling it out in the future either.
As the season progresses and teams drop into trouble, there will undoubtedly be a call for the sort of relegation-avoiding expertise Allardyce has shown throughout his career, not least at Sunderland last season.
It was his work with the Black Cats that smoothed his path to England - and it will not be forgotten when the spectre of strife and relegation rears its head for clubs as the season goes on.
Yes, Allardyce's credibility is currently broken but a manager who can prevent a club's relegation can save them millions. And there will always be a chairman out there who will believe Allardyce's baggage comes with a price worth paying.


Gareth Bale insists Real Madrid can still reach the last four of the Champions League despite their damaging 2-0 defeat at Wolfsburg.

Ten-time European Cup winners Real were beaten in the first leg of their quarter-final tie in Germany after conceding twice in the first half.
Ricardo Rodriguez's penalty gave the hosts an advantage that was added to by Maximilian Arnold's close-range finish.
"We just weren't good enough. It happens in football," Bale said.
"It happens all the time. We need to make sure come the second leg that we're on it and win by three goals.
"Obviously we expected to win the game but things like this can happen in football.
"We know it wasn't a great performance tonight but we know it's only halfway through and we've got time to put it right."
Bale believed he he should have been awarded a penalty in the first half, as well as ruing the failure to award an early strike from Cristiano Ronaldo that was ruled out for offside.
"I've been told it wasn't offside so there's that and right at the start of the game I've had a clear penalty on me that wasn't given," Bale added.
"Things haven't gone for us tonight but, no excuses, we weren't good enough tonight. We have another game to put it right."
Madrid and Wolfsburg meet for the second leg of their quarter-final on Tuesday, 12 April.
This result for Zinedine Zidane's men came just four days after they had won at the Nou Camp with 10 men, yet Bale denied that result had affected their performance in Germany.
"We've had time to recover," the Welshman added.


Sam Jones scored twice to secure Grimsby a first win in five matches and dent Blackpool's League Two play-off hopes with a 3-1 victory.

Danny Collins' header was cancelled out by Andrew Boyce's own goal as half-time approached, but the Mariners had enough time to retake the lead before the interval through Jones, whose 70th-minute strike settled matters in the visitors' favour.
The first chance of the game fell to Blackpool after 13 minutes as Bright Osayi-Samuel broke down the left and his low shot from 12 yards was deflected inches wide of the far post.
But it was Grimsby who took the lead four minutes later, when Danny Andrew delivered a superb ball to the far post where ex-Sunderland defender Collins nodded home in front of the travelling fans.
The Seasiders were level after 42 minutes, in slightly fortuitous circumstances, as defender Boyce headed Andy Taylor's cross past his own goalkeeper James McKeown.
Parity did not last long however, as Blackpool failed to deal with a corner in first-half stoppage time and Jones stabbed Grimsby back in front from close range.
Jones grabbed his second after 70 minutes, when he pounced on a defensive lapse from Tom Aldred and raced clear before calmly slotting past Dean Lyness to seal the points for Grimsby.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Blackpool 1, Grimsby Town 3.
Second Half ends, Blackpool 1, Grimsby Town 3.
Substitution, Grimsby Town. Shaun Pearson replaces Danny Collins.
Attempt missed. Dominic Vose (Grimsby Town) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Tom Aldred (Blackpool) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Tom Aldred (Blackpool).
Craig Disley (Grimsby Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Bright Samuel (Blackpool) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Substitution, Grimsby Town. Craig Disley replaces Gavin Gunning.
Ian Black (Blackpool) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Ian Black (Blackpool).
Jamey Osborne (Grimsby Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Colin Daniel (Blackpool) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left following a set piece situation.
Brad Potts (Blackpool) is shown the yellow card.
Gavin Gunning (Grimsby Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Mark Cullen (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Gavin Gunning (Grimsby Town).
Substitution, Blackpool. Mark Cullen replaces Kyle Vassell.
Substitution, Grimsby Town. Dominic Vose replaces Dan Jones.
Chris Clements (Grimsby Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Kelvin Mellor (Blackpool).
Attempt saved. Kyle Vassell (Blackpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Kelvin Mellor (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Dan Jones (Grimsby Town).
Attempt missed. Callum Dyson (Grimsby Town) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Attempt missed. Brad Potts (Blackpool) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Goal!  Blackpool 1, Grimsby Town 3. Sam Jones (Grimsby Town) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Zak Mills.
Substitution, Blackpool. Jamille Matt replaces Andy Taylor.
Substitution, Blackpool. Ian Black replaces Jordan Flores.
Foul by Brad Potts (Blackpool).
Jamey Osborne (Grimsby Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Andy Taylor (Blackpool).
Jamey Osborne (Grimsby Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Kyle Vassell (Blackpool) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Attempt missed. Gavin Gunning (Grimsby Town) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.
Corner,  Blackpool. Conceded by James McKeown.
Kyle Vassell (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Zak Mills (Grimsby Town).
Corner,  Grimsby Town. Conceded by Andy Taylor.
Bright Samuel (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.


FA Cup holders Arsenal came from behind to record a comfortable third-round win against Premier League strugglers Sunderland at Emirates Stadium.

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The visitors took a surprise lead when Jeremain Lens struck inside the box.
Arsenal equalised through Joel Campbell's half-volley, before Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hit the woodwork.
Substitute Aaron Ramsey tapped in late on to put Arsenal ahead before Olivier Giroud's close-range finish wrapped up a 13th consecutive win in the FA Cup.
Reaction to Saturday's FA Cup third-round games
Arsenal, who beat Aston Villa 4-0 in last season's final, have won the FA Cup 12 times - more than any other side.
Six of those have come under Arsene Wenger, who will become the competition's most successful manager with one more victory.
Arsenal may be top of the Premier League, but Wenger underlined his intention to take the FA Cup seriously by naming a strong side, with first-team regulars Petr Cech, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Giroud and Theo Walcott all included.
It was a decision that paid off. After Sunderland's unexpected opener, Walcott provided the assist for Arsenal's equaliser and Hector Bellerin played a key role in their next two goals as the hosts' experienced men carried them forward while the visitors' mix of fringe and youth players wilted.
Sunderland's priority is clear - Premier League survival - and that was reflected in Sam Allardyce's team selection, with the Black Cats showing seven changes.
After five successive defeats, Sunderland secured a morale-boosting 3-1 win against Aston Villa last time out.
They looked to have continued their momentum when they stunned Arsenal to take the lead, Lens taking advantage of some uncharacteristic hesitancy in the Gunners' defence to score.
That was only Lens' third goal in 17 appearances for Sunderland, but his overall play will have been encouraging for Black Cats fans as his pace and physical presence caused the hosts a number of problems.
He possesses the ability to be an important player for Sunderland in their battle against relegation. The question is, can he perform like he did against Arsenal on a consistent basis?
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger: "It was a test for us to come from behind. There was a great mental response and there is a special solidarity in the team.
"You always worry because, no matter how long you are in this job, you never know what is next. The experience we had up front today helped. I am very happy overall."
Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce: "In the end they had better finishers than we had today. We were fine for 70 minutes and I am just a little sad at the goals we allowed Arsenal to score. We made it easy for them in the end.
"We move on. The squad has shown they can play at this level. Lens is strong on the ball as well as talented. Hopefully we can push on and see a bit more from him."
Arsenal travel to Liverpool in the Premier League on Wednesday, while Sunderland are at Swansea on the same day.
The FA Cup fourth-round draw takes place on Monday and is live on The One Show on BBC One from 19:00 GMT.


The United States sought to capture or kill Osama Bin Laden for more than 15 years before tracking him down to a compound in north-western Pakistan, not far from a large town and the country's military academy.

Although no opportunities presented themselves in recent years, there were several before 2002 - prompting many to question the power and effectiveness of the US military and intelligence machine.
US senators have said the failure to find Bin Laden forever altered the course of the conflict in Afghanistan and the future of international terrorism, left the American people more vulnerable, laid the foundation for the Afghan insurgency, and inflamed the internal strife in Pakistan.
In 1996 the CIA's Counter-terrorist Centre (CTC) set up "Bin Laden Issue Station", a special unit of a dozen officers, to analyse intelligence on and plan operations against the Saudi millionaire. At the time Bin Laden was believed to be financing militants in the Middle East and Africa.
Will Bin Laden haunt US?
By late 1997 - after Bin Laden had been forced to move from Sudan to Afghanistan, and had called on Muslims to "launch a guerrilla war against American forces" - the unit had formulated plans for Afghan tribesmen to capture him before handing him over to the US.
Though the head of the CTC thought it was the "perfect operation", the director of the CIA decided not to go ahead with it, according to a later report issued by the 9/11 Commission's report.
Then, in August 1998, more than 220 people were killed when lorries filled with bombs drove into the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. After determining that al-Qaeda was responsible, US President Bill Clinton authorised missile strikes against militant camps in Afghanistan, including Bin Laden's compound.
The strikes failed to kill any al-Qaeda leaders and prompted Bin Laden to start changing locations frequently and unpredictably, and to add new bodyguards. He also changed his means of communication. Nevertheless, tribal sources were still able to provide regular updates on where he was.
In December 1998 it was reported that Bin Laden might be staying the night at the residence of the governor of Kandahar. But a missile strike was ruled out after generals predicted 200 people might be killed or injured. Some lower-level CIA figures worried that the US might rue the decision.
A similar opportunity to bomb a camp south of Kandahar in February 1999 was missed because Bin Laden moved on before the operation was approved.
Perhaps the best opportunity to target Bin Laden came in May 1999, when CIA assets confidently reported Bin Laden's location for five days and nights in and around Kandahar. Despite officials at the Pentagon and CIA expressing little doubt about the operation's success, it was not authorised.
From then until after the 11 September 2001 attacks the US government did not again actively consider a missile strike against Bin Laden. Putting US personnel on the ground was also ruled out because of the risk of failure.
Michael Scheuer, who founded the Bin Laden unit and ran it until 1999, told the BBC: "Mr Clinton is more a citizen of the world, and he was worried about what the Muslim world would think if we missed and killed a civilian."
"He generally talked a good game that he did his best once he left office. But I happened to be there at the time, and Bin Laden should have been an annoying memory by the middle of 1998 or early 1999."
On 18 September 2001, US President George W Bush famously declared that Bin Laden was wanted "dead or alive".
The next month US aircraft began a massive bombing campaign against al-Qaeda bases in Afghanistan as part of a mission to destroy the group, kill Bin Laden and other key leaders, and to defeat the Taliban.
Military special forces and CIA teams, along with their Afghan allies, were also deployed on the ground to seize control of al-Qaeda strongholds.
Although the US and its allies declared victory that December, Bin Laden had been neither captured nor killed. He was, however, cornered in a complex of caves and tunnels in the mountainous eastern Afghan area of Tora Bora.
Under relentless attack from the ground and air, Bin Laden fully expected to die and even wrote a will on 14 December.
But fewer than 100 US commandos were on the scene with their Afghan allies and calls for reinforcements to launch an assault were rejected, according to a 2009 report by the US Senate foreign relations committee.
Requests were also turned down for US troops to block the mountain paths leading to sanctuary a few kilometres away in Pakistan.
Instead, commanders chose to rely on air strikes and Afghan militias to attack Bin Laden and on Pakistan's Frontier Corps to seal his escape routes.
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said at the time that he was concerned that too many US troops in Afghanistan would create an anti-American backlash and fuel a widespread insurgency.
Two days after writing his will, Bin Laden and his bodyguards walked out of Tora Bora and disappeared over the border into Pakistan.
"Removing the al-Qaeda leader from the battlefield eight years ago would not have eliminated the worldwide extremist threat," the Senate committee report concluded.
"But the decisions that opened the door for his escape to Pakistan allowed Bin Laden to emerge as a potent symbolic figure who continues to attract a steady flow of money and inspire fanatics worldwide."
After Tora Bora, the hunt moved to Pakistan. Several senior al-Qaeda leaders were arrested or killed, including the alleged mastermind of 9/11, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, but there were very few leads of Bin Laden himself.
Pakistan's government dismissed reports that he was in the country, but it was widely believed that he was moving from village to village in the north-western region of Waziristan with a small group of bodyguards, where he would live under the protection of Pashtun tribal leaders.
Bin Laden was believed to communicate only once a month by courier, and never by telephone. He nevertheless managed to record video and audio messages which were either passed to media organisations, most notably al-Jazeera, or published on the internet. His last video tape was released in September 2007, while his last audio message came in January 2011.
Former CIA agents said the main obstacle to finding Bin Laden was that anyone who might consider betraying him for the $25m reward offered feared informing local police, in case they were sympathetic to or in the pay of Bin Laden.
Also, the agents themselves were prevented from venturing far from their compounds in Pakistan because of the threat of assassination and resistance by the intelligence arm of the Pakistan military, the Inter Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI), which wanted to lead the operation.
Confronted with such obstacles agents instead relied on electronic intercepts, aerial photographs, and information collected by the ISI's spies. Leads were followed up by local proxies, who often risked their lives. One cleric was beheaded after being sent to Waziristan.
Even when a senior al-Qaeda figure was identified and located, it often took weeks to get approval from the Pakistani authorities for an air strike.
Andrew Card, President Bush's former chief-of-staff, told ABC News: "The intelligence would frequently tease us. We would think that we were close to getting him. A couple of times we thought we actually got him, but we didn't."
Some US officials believed the failure to capture or kill Bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was the result of collusion by their Pakistani counterparts, particularly those within ISI. Some claimed the ISI was harbouring the two men.
"I'm not saying that they're at the highest levels, but I believe that somewhere in this government are people who know where Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda is," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in May 2010.
The discovery that Bin Laden had been living in a large, custom-built, walled compound in Abbottabad close to Pakistan's military academy - possibly from as early as 2005 - has reinforced suspicions about the ISI.
US officials have said it took eight months for US and Pakistani agents to confirm the location of the al-Qaeda leader, and that they found it by trailing one of his most trusted couriers, whose name was revealed by detainees.
But former CIA field officer Bob Baer told the BBC that he was sceptical about the assertions that Bin Laden had been traced through a courier.
"Intelligence agencies like the CIA and the US military will simply put out disinformation to protect the real sources, which could have been anything from intercepts to the Pakistani government itself," he said.


Loanee Alfie Pavey fired his second goal in as many games to inspire Aldershot to victory at Macclesfield.

The 20-year-old forward, on loan from Millwall, headed in Dan Walker's cross to give the visitors the lead.
Damon Lathrope then doubled the advantage when his 30-yard free-kick looped over home keeper Ritchie Branagan and into the top corner.
Kristian Dennis had a late effort blocked for the hosts, but the Shots defence held firm for a clean sheet.
Aldershot Town boss Barry Smith told BBC Surrey:
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"It was a good away performance, we got the goals at good times and the boys worked ever so hard to get that result.
"The starting eleven and the boys that came on, they worked very hard defensively and that allowed us to win chances in order to take them.
"I think overall our team defensively ensured a good performance, where the strikers worked hard to stop them getting the ball forward and when they did get it forward the midfielders tracked their runners which allowed us to defend well.
"I've got a great squad, their attitude is superb and I've said that all along. The players have worked ever so hard during the week topping up their fitness levels and that showed."


Three RNLI crew members who saved a woman trapped in flood waters in Devon will be honoured for heroism at a national awards ceremony.

Paul Eastment and Chris Missen, from Porthcawl in Bridgend county, along with Poole-based crewman Martin Blaker-Rowe, rescued Vanessa Glover when water swept her from her car.
The crew will be presented with the Pride of Britain Emergency Services Award in London on Monday.
They were nominated by Mrs Glover.
She told the ITV programme Daybreak: "They know how proud of them I am and how very grateful I am to be alive.
"I'm so grateful for this showcasing and nomination. They are volunteers and... risked their own lives."
The rescue took place in the early hours of 23 December last year when the River Taw had reached 3.5 metres (11ft) above its normal range.
Mrs Glover, a mother of one, had been swept from her car in Umberleigh after it was forced off a road by flood water, leaving her husband and seven-year-old son holding onto the car roof.
She was left clinging to a branch.
At 01:51 GMT the RNLI's flood rescue team launched its boat with Mr Missen at the helm.
Boat team leader Mr Eastment and crew member Mr Blaker-Rowe guided Mr Missen along the safest route to reach Mrs Glover with only head torches for light.
They reached her and at 01:57 GMT she was in the rescue boat, very cold and receiving treatment.
The men previously won the RNLI bronze medal for gallantry - one of the institution's highest accolades - for the rescue.


Scotland's biggest video games festival has opened in Dundee.

More than 10,000 people are expected to attend Dare ProtoPlay over the next four days.
This year's event was opened by gaming world superstar Chipzel, who uses handheld video consoles to create dance music.
The annual Dare ProtoPlay festival is held as the finale of Abertay University's Dare to be Digital game design competition.
During the event, 16 teams of students from around the world will unveil games they have created. Three of the teams will be put forward as nominees for the BAFTA Ones to Watch Award.
Prof Gregor White, head of the School of Arts, Media and Computer Games at Abertay University, said: "Inspiring young people is one very important aspect of Dare ProtoPlay, as we want children and parents to see that games are about art, creativity and design.
"The festival will show traditional digital games, but we've also got the Cardboard Challenge and Killer Queen Arcade Field Game which take game design ideas out into the real world.
"We're looking forward to another busy four days as thousands of people come to Dundee to play games, have fun and even be inspired to try making their own games."
Dare ProtoPlay runs until Sunday in Dundee's Caird Hall and City Square.
Dundee is home to dozens of video game companies and is considered a hub of the industry in the UK, with classic titles including Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto having been developed in the city.


The campaign trail through the Rhondda Valley is a rather muddy, squelchy one.

I'm with the leader of Plaid Cymru, Leanne Wood, crossing the fields beneath a mountain on our way to what is described as a portal - I don't expect a shimmery sci-fi gateway but am slightly disappointed when there's not even a hole in the hillside.
Instead, a manhole cover in the ground.
It marks the start of the Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway Tunnel closed in the 1960s, one of the many victims of Dr Beeching's infamous cuts.
The party leader listens to the  enthusiasts here who have high hopes of reopening it as the second longest cycle tunnel in the world, but she wisely declines to go under ground, thus avoiding any attempt to get through a 20in hole.
Leanne Wood is sometimes accused of a lack of charisma, but she is assured, fluent and natural with none of the artificial glibness that can come so easily to senior politicians.
However, her party is hardly rocketing ahead in the polls.
They are predicting gains - but most observers think they'll be lucky to hold on to all three current seats.
Plaid Cymru means the Party of Wales, but that is an aspiration, a job application, rather than a political fact.
If they were doing as well here as the polls indicate the SNP are in Scotland, Labour would be finished as a UK party.
I put it to Leanne Wood that they are hardly going to wipe Labour out in Wales.
"Its unlikely," she said. "But I think we will do well.
"We are hoping that Plaid Cymru will have its best ever general election result.
"We are a different country and a different party to the SNP, and on different stages of our devolution journey, but I am confident that Wales will catch up with Scotland and PC will catch up with the SNP in time."
Lee Waters, the director of an independent think tank, the Institute of Welsh Affairs, says the valleys and the glens are divided by more than just a few hundred miles.
"It's often thought that Wales and Scotland are comparable and they really aren't at all. Certainly not politically.
"But I think the real difference is our wealth. Wales is poorer and support for independence is closely linked to that.
"People can see that were we to be independent we would have to cut public services by something like a fifth on the current economic performance.
"So that isn't a particularly appetising prospect for anybody."
Mr Waters said Plaid Cymru had begun to soften its message as a result, suggesting full independence was a long-term aim.
But he said no party in Wales had set out a vision for how to close the significant economic gap between Wales and England.
"The Welsh GDP per head, our wealth per head is 72% of the UK average.  It would take 20 years of growth at 4% a year to close that gap with England.
"Wales is one of the poorest parts of Europe: we're up there with Hungary and the accession countries.  And that underlying weakness underlies all of the political debate."
Hence the search for something to put some modern economic flesh on the bones of heavy industry.
The plan to turn this old pit railway into a tourist attraction is scarcely unique: the rusty pit heads I've passed on my journey here have long ago swapped their queues of miners for a smaller stream of visitors.
Welsh politics, too, is redolent of history and heritage.
Labour 26 seats (down four)
Conservative 8 (up five)
Lib Dems 3 (down one)
Plaid Cymru 3 (up one)
Wales is one of the birthplaces of the Labour party, and provided leading figures such as Aneurin Bevan, Michael Foot and Neil Kinnock.
Political tribalism is losing its grip, but if the rest of the UK was like Wales, Labour would have few worries in this election. The party has 26 MPs and may make further small gains.
But devolution has also provided the Conservatives with a potent charge that they are using on a UK level in this election.
They say the way Labour has run the Assembly - particularly cutting money to the health service and getting rid of targets in education - shows it isn't fit for government.
Stephen Crabb, David Cameron's Welsh Secretary, is a local boy made good. He was bought up in Pembrokeshire in a council house by his mum, a single parent.
"At the core of the election campaign is the economy.
"And in Wales, let's be clear about this, we are at the bottom of the economic league table of the UK and have some serious long-term challenges.
"Also coming up is health services, the quality of the NHS."
Welsh Tories have a fight to hold on to the eight seats they currently have. However, Wales now is very far from the Tory-free zone declared by Peter Hain in 1997.
He was Welsh Secretary under both Blair and Brown and is stepping down as Neath's MP at this election but says the Conservative charge is opportunistic and wrong.
"Things are not as good as they should be in the NHS in Wales or in England - but the idea that Wales under Labour is lagging far behind is nonsense and politically dishonest."
The election battle in Cardiff is particularly intense. In a street of large houses, some divided into flats, two teams of canvassers compete for attention.
On one street corner, a cluster of Lib Dem doorknockers gather around their clipboards discussing their next move.
Assembly Member Eluned Parrott says: "Here in Wales, Labour have been running the health service for 15 years.
"There are some of the longest wait times, some of the longest response times for ambulances and frankly bureaucratic chaos in some parts of the system which are preventing the staff doing the job they want to do, so things are more complicated here, more nuanced than the Labour Party UK-wide would want to admit."
As I talk to her, a team of young Labour canvassers on the same side of the street move determinedly from door to door.
I grab a quick word with one who tells me the issue raised on the doorstep is immigration.
If you think that is a bit of a strange answer, you need to know recent opinion polls suggest UKIP are doing well - way ahead of both the Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru.
Nathan Gill was the surprise of last year's Euro elections when he won Wales for UKIP.
"People at the fringes of what is going on, feel a need to have a drastic change in their lives and they will vote for a party that is offering a great deal of change, which is UKIP," he said.
The election in Wales is not expected to provide dramatic shifts.
But perhaps there is an important underlying story there.
Prof Roger Scully, of Cardiff University, said Labour was doing very well in the polls two to three years ago, but that support has gradually ebbed away.
By the end of last year it was down to 36% - the same as at the last general election.
"Labour have now gone up to about 40% which is I suppose is now where they would hope to be, they may make some gains but they are not making great strides ahead."
This might mean Plaid has some power in a hung Parliament. If so, I ask Leanne Wood, if she would try to push Ed Miliband to the left?
"Yes. I think many people who vote Labour do so because of what Labour used to stand for in terms of their old values and if we with others can put pressure on Labour to consider what their regional values were all about then I think that is something that would have backing from people."
Labour is not under severe assault form the nationalists in Wales.
But in this poor, depressed heartland there is little sign of a surge in support for Mr Milband's party and Welsh nationalists might just matter for a minority government.
What are the top issues for each political party at the 2015 general election?
Policy guide: Where the parties stand


Scientists have recreated the colour patterns of a dinosaur, revealing a camouflage used by animals today.

A study of a well-preserved Chinese Psittacosaurus fossil shows it had a light underside and was darker on top - an arrangement called counter-shading.
This suggests the species lived in an environment with diffuse light, such as a forest.
As part of their research, the scientists teamed up with an artist to produce a 3-D model of the creature.
The findings by an international team of researchers have been published in Current Biology journal.
Co-author Jakob Vinther, from the University of Bristol, UK, said the camouflage pattern sported by this particular dinosaur "has been shown to function by counter-illuminating shadows on a body, thus making an animal appear optically flat to the eye of the beholder".
It may have protected them against predators that use patterns of shadow on an object to determine their shape - just as humans do.
Psittacosaurus - which means "parrot-lizard" in reference to its parrot-like beak - was an early relative of the three-horned dinosaur Triceratops, in a group known as the Ornithischians.
Previously, scientists have discovered that some fossils preserve "melanosomes" - small structures that carry melanin pigments found in the feathers and skin of many animals.
In some specimens, such as the Psittacosaurus, it's possible to make out the patterns of preserved melanin without the aid of a microscope.
The researchers projected the colour patterns found in the fossil onto a life-size model to explore how they might have helped the creature stay hidden.
They teamed up with Bristol-based palaeo-artist Bob Nicholls to build the physical recreation.
He said: "Our Psittacosaurus was reconstructed from the inside-out. There are thousands of scales, all different shapes and sizes, and many of them are only partially pigmented.
"It was a painstaking process but we now have the best suggestion as to what this dinosaur really looked like."
The team members describe it as the most scientifically accurate life-size model of a dinosaur with its real colour patterns.
They also made a cast of this model which they painted in a uniform shade of grey. The scientists then investigated how shadows were cast on the animal.
This data could then be compared to the camouflage pattern to determine what kind of lighting was best at hiding the dinosaur.
Dr Vinther said: "We predicted that the psittacosaur must have lived in a forest. This demonstrates that fossil colour patterns can provide not only a better picture of what extinct animals looked like, but they can also give new clues about extinct ecologies and habitats.
"We were amazed to see how well these colour patterns actually worked to camouflage this little dinosaur."
The specimen is part of what's known as the Jehol Biota - animals which flourished in north-eastern China from 133 million - 120 million years ago.


Sir Stirling Moss has retired from racing at the age of 81 after a remarkable career that spanned eight decades and took in 212 victories.

Four times runner-up in the Formula 1 drivers' championship, Moss effectively retired in 1962 but continued to race in historic cars and legends events.
But after qualifying for the Le Mans Legends he said it was time to stop.
"I have always said if I felt I was not up to it or I was getting in the way of competitors I would retire," he said.
Moss, who suffered paralysis to his left side and spent a month in a coma after a crash in the Glover Trophy at Goodwood in 1962, revealed that the decision to finally hang up his gloves came while racing his Porsche RS61 in practice.
Moss's 16 grands prix wins is one more than Lewis Hamilton
He had been set to partner Ian Nuthall in the Legends event - which comes before the main 24-hour Le Mans race and features classic cars from 1949-65.
"This afternoon I scared myself," he told stirlingmoss.com. "I love racing, but now it is time to stop."
During a career that spanned 63 years from his debut as an 18-year-old, Moss won 16 grands prix, including the British Grand Prix on two occasions and Monaco on three.
In 1955 he finished runner-up to Juan Manuel Fangio in the drivers' standings for the first of three times, while in 1958 he finished just a point behind champion Mike Hawthorn - Moss even helping Hawthorn avoid a potentially decisive points penalty in Portugal.
Commenting on the retirement, Martin Brundle - who raced alongside Moss in the British Touring Car Championship, tweeted: "I'm hearing that Sir Stirling Moss, my 1981 team-mate and good friend, has declared he is retiring from race driving at 81 years old. Legend."


Glamorgan wicketkeeper Mark Wallace has announced his retirement from cricket with immediate effect.

Wallace, 35, spent 18 years in the first team and captained them from 2013 to 2015, playing 264 first class games.
He became the first wicketkeeper for the Welsh county to amass more than 1,000 first-class runs in a season.
"I've been extremely fortunate to have been able to represent the club for so long and I walk away with a heavy heart," Wallace said.
The Abergavenny product made his Glamorgan debut in 1999 against Somerset at Taunton, and at 17 years and 287 days, became the club's youngest wicketkeeper in a county championship match.
During his county career, Wallace helped Glamorgan to the National League one-day title in 2004.
In 2012, Wallace passed Eifion Jones' club record for the highest aggregate of runs by a specialist wicketkeeper and passed the landmark of 10,000 first-class cricket runs three years later.
Wallace, who also represented England Under-19s, completed a sequence of 230 consecutive championship appearances for the Welsh county over a 14-year period between 2001 and 2015.
"I'm hugely thankful to the club for the opportunities they've given me," said Wallace.
"I would like to thank the supporters for enduring some of my performances and to my family and friends for their unwavering support."
Wallace signed a contract extension last year to take him to the end of the 2017 summer but has chosen to hang up his gloves a year early.
After being elected as the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) chairman in December 2012, Wallace will take up a permanent position with the organisation as a Player Development Manager supporting cricketers in the South West and Wales.
"I'm delighted to be able to start the next chapter of my life," he added.
Glamorgan chief executive Hugh Morris praised Wallace's impact at the county.
"Mark has been an integral part of Glamorgan for almost two decades," said Morris.
"He will be long remembered for his skill with bat and gloves, his leadership qualities, as a role model in the dressing room and as an ambassador for the club.
"Mark can look back on an outstanding professional career with great pride and it is excellent news that he will continue to contribute to the game of cricket in his new role at the PCA."


Connecticut-based gun maker Colt Defense has filed for bankruptcy protection, as it grapples with a heavy debt load.

The company says it plans to continue its normal business operations during its restructuring.
The company is struggling with more than $350m (Â£225m) in debt, as well as waning sales.
Colt's fortunes were hurt by the loss of a contract in 2013 to supply the US army with its M4 assault rifle.
Keith Maib, the company's chief restructuring officer, said: "Colt remains open for business and our team will continue to be sharply focused on delivering for our customers and being a good commercial partner to our vendors and suppliers".
Colt has been plagued by financial problems in recent months.
Last November Colt took out a $70m loan from Morgan Stanley to help make an interest payment.
But last month it missed a $10m interest payment.
Last year sales of its sports rifles and handguns fell 30%.
The company has a long US history, known for making American firearms for more than 150 years.
The company previously filed for bankruptcy protection in 1992, emerging again two years later.


Non-league Salford City have been granted planning permission for a 5,000-capacity redeveloped stadium at Moor Lane.

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Two of their co-owners, former Manchester United stars Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville, spoke at a two-hour planning meeting at Salford Council.
"The hard work starts here," said Neville afterwards.
"We have heard the local community issues and now we must deliver on the promises we have made."
The former Manchester United players heard numerous objections, including that they were turning Salford, who play in National League North, into a "commercial monster".
At one point Neville was presented with a black bin bag of rubbish by an objector as an example of the additional litter Salford's proposal would create.
He promised that, if needed, he and the Salford first team would go outside to clear litter after matches.
Neville also said any instances of anti-Semitism in an area where 40% of the local population is Jewish would be dealt with in the strongest available manner.
The planning permission was granted subject to a number of conditions, particularly with relation to traffic.
David Mintz, spokesman for the local Kersal Moor residents association, said: "The council has been wowed by celebrity. A thousand residents were consulted. The vast majority objected and this has been ignored."
Mintz said the objectors would now consider asking for a judicial review.
Salford have been promoted in successive seasons since a high-profile takeover involving Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville in 2014 and last year reached the FA Cup second round for the first time.
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So, it's no small achievement that Star Citizen's creator says he has raised more than $108m (Â£75m) to develop the title via online crowdfunding campaigns.
In fact, it makes the sci-fi space simulator the biggest crowdfunded project of all time.
Not bad considering its creator, Chris Roberts, had originally hoped to raise about a tenth of the amount.
That would have funded a much smaller game than Star Citizen has evolved into, Roberts told the BBC.
"I never thought we would raise the money we have, I was going to start more contained and over time its sort of filled out," he said.
But with the title running years behind its originally announced schedule, he has still to prove he can meet the backers' expectations.
Roberts is famous among video game fans for the popular 1990's spaceship combat Wing Commander series.
The popularity of these games built Roberts a huge fan base, which dug into its own pockets to fund his new PC game.
Roberts' development company is called Cloud Imperium. It operates four studios spread across three different countries (the US, UK and Germany), all working to realise Star Citizen's grand vision.
It's what's known as a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, which allows the player to pilot space ships, big and small, and even become part of the crew on huge vessels.
The universe is planned to be a huge explorable sandbox. Players should be able to engage in first-person combat, spaceship racing, visiting and exploring space stations and planets.
It is a persistent universe of huge ambition - so ambitious it's taking much longer to develop than originally anticipated.
The game was first announced back in 2012, with a release planned for 2014.
But at present only small taster portions of the game are available to play.
Inevitably some backers and internet observers have taken to forums and blogs to vent their anger at the delays.
"People who make games are optimists," Roberts admits.
"If you are building a two-bedroom house and suddenly change to building a castle it's going to be a different timeline."
But he also thinks this game is far from unique when it comes to delays.
"In the games business, games get cancelled all the time, games get pushed back and by the time you hear about the game it's probably been in development for years.
"Things always took longer than anyone thought."
He concedes that "there are always going to be some people that say, you told me it was going to be two years, I want it to be this big , I want it in two years."
"That isn't necessarily possible," he adds.
"Most of our customers aren't like that. They say: 'Take the time you need. If you need 10 years for a really great space game don't rush it out and make a bad one.'"
With the development studios spread out across the US and Europe, Roberts is often travelling between them all, checking the progress of the individual teams.
BBC Click visited the Los Angeles studio in California and the Wilmslow studio in the UK.
The atmosphere inside the studios was almost identical: dozens of artists and designers working on spaceship designs and character animations as well as painstakingly sifting though lines of code in search of bugs.
There was a sense of calm, but the size and complexity of the project is mind boggling to the outside observer.
There are almost 300 people working on this game and they are taking advantage of their different time zones.
The studio head in Los Angeles said that when a bug is found by his team, they can work on the problem and then, at the end of their day, hand it over to workers in the UK to crack, and vice-versa with bugs found at any of the other studios.
They call this "follow the sun" development. It means that work on Star Citizen is pretty much a 24-hour operation.
As well as the persistent universe there will also be a single player story-driven game called Squadron 42.
It sounds very much like Roberts is working in familiar Wing Commander territory here. In Squadron 42 the player assumes the role of a rookie pilot, embroiled in a war with a vicious alien species.
While the set-up is a little on the familiar side Roberts has assembled a star-studded cast for the game including Gary Oldman, Mark Strong and Gillian Anderson.
While the larger universe is still in development, Roberts says he aims to release Squadron 42 by the end of this year.
So, it looks like we are going to have to wait a little bit longer to play the full Star Citizen experience.


Alexander Kristoff surged clear of his rivals to win the RideLondon-Surrey Classic in a bunch sprint finish.

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The Norwegian, 30, kicked away with 200m to go on the Mall and held off a late charge from Denmark's Magnus Cort Nielsen in second.
Tour de France green jersey winner Michael Matthews finished third for the second straight year.
The 183km race only came down to a sprint finish after a two-man break was caught inside the final kilometre.
"We've only had one week rest since the Tour de France so I didn't know my shape as I didn't train too much," Kristoff told BBC Sport.
"I had a great party at home a few days ago, and usually I race well after a party, so maybe that's a tactic I should use again."
Victory was a deserved result for Kristoff's Katusha-Alpecin team, who did most of the work in chasing down Quick-Step's Matteo Trentin and Trek-Segafredo's Jasper Stuyven in the final stages.
Trentin had broken clear alongside Orica-Scott's Daryl Impey with around 60km to go as part of a move started by Team Sky's Peter Kennaugh.
Briton Kennaugh soon faded but Stuyven bridged across with 50km remaining to form a strong leading trio that sustained a gap of about 20 seconds over a disorganised peloton until Impey cracked on a sharp drag in Wimbledon.
Trek did their best to disrupt the chase for Belgian team-mate Stuyven but he and Italian Trentin were duly caught as Ireland's Sam Bennett led out the sprint, only for Kristoff to blitz past him.
"I tried really hard to win the race but maybe the route was just 1km too short," said Trentin, who won the sprints classification.
"Without Daryl Impey dropping off, we probably would have made it to the finish but it is what it is."
Kristoff, who failed to win a stage in a disappointing Tour de France this year, won bronze in the 2012 Olympic road race on a similar course that also ended on the Mall.
He becomes the first rider to win the Classic - billed as the world's richest one-day race with a total prize pool of 100,000 euros (£89,500) - since it was awarded the top-tier World Tour status last year.


Police investigating the suspected murder of a man who was stabbed in Darwen have made three further arrests.

The 42-year-old was found dead with stab wounds in a property on Hazel Avenue at about 16:15 on Thursday.
A woman, 42, was taken to hospital after also being stabbed but has since been discharged, police said.
Two men, aged 18 and 33, and a 17-year-old boy were arrested in Liverpool on Friday afternoon, bringing the total number of arrests to six.
The 18-year-old was held on suspicion of murder and being concerned in the supply of class A drugs, while the others were being questioned on suspicion of assisting an offender and being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.
A 23-year-old man and two boys, aged 15 and 16, who were arrested on suspicion of murder earlier at nearby Frances Street, have been released without charge, Lancashire Police said.


Flanker Tommy O'Donnell replaces Josh van der Flier in Ireland's only change from the win over Italy for Saturday's Six Nations game against Scotland.

Captain Rory Best has shaken off a calf muscle injury and will start.
Coach Joe Schmidt said that Van der Flier took a "bang" in training on Monday after "shipping a couple of knocks" in the England and Italy games.
"Josh would probably be fit to play but he is just carrying a few knocks," said the Ireland coach.
"Conversely, Tommy has trained incredibly well.
"He hasn't had the luckiest of preparations with us in previous times," said Schmidt of O'Donnell who will be winning his 12th cap on Saturday.
O'Donnell missed out on last Autumn's World Cup in heartbreaking fashion after sustaining a dislocated hip in the warm-up game against Wales in August.
However, the Munster flanker, 28, battled back to feature in Ireland's opening Six Nations games against Wales and France.
Best, 33, was reported to have a tight calf on Tuesday but the hooker was able to resume training on Thursday.
An Ireland win will move the holders above Scotland in the table and ensure they finish no lower than fourth.
If results go to form with Wales seeing off the Italians and new champions England completing the Grand Slam at the Stade de France, a home win at the Aviva Stadium will leave Ireland third in the table.
In the first season following Paul O'Connell's retirement, Schmidt insisted that he would be happy with a top-three finish after a campaign where they missed several influential players including Iain Henderson, Peter O'Mahony and Tommy Bowe.
Sean O'Brien, Mike McCarthy and Dave Kearney missed the last three games of Ireland's tournament after being injured in the defeat by France while Jared Payne, Rob Kearney, Simon Zebo and Keith Earls have also been ruled out for stages of the campaign.
"If we can get that top-half finish I'd be very happy that we've worked our way through a pretty challenging time," added Schmidt.
"Hopefully that could give us a little bit of a platform into what is an incredibly tough second half of the year."
Ireland face a three-Test tour to South Africa in June before facing New Zealand twice and Australia in the autumn in an unforgiving close to 2016.
Simon Zebo's impressive attacking display in last weekend's nine-try 58-15 win over Italy meant that his retention at full-back was not in any doubt with Rob Kearney again ruled out by injury.
Eoin Reddan and Cian Healy, who both missed the Italy game because of knocks, return to the bench in place of Connacht pair Kieran Marmion and Finlay Bealham after resuming training this week.
Ireland: S Zebo, A Trimble, J Payne, R Henshaw, K Earls, J Sexton, C Murray; J McGrath, R Best (capt), M Ross; D Ryan, D Toner; CJ Stander, T O'Donnell, J Heaslip.
Replacements: R Strauss, C Healy, N White, U Dillane, R Ruddock, E Reddan, I Madigan, F McFadden.


The first gay British clergyman to marry a same-sex partner has been blocked from taking up a promotion within the NHS.

Canon Jeremy Pemberton was prevented from officiating as a priest in Nottinghamshire after he married his long-term partner in April.
He still works as a chaplain for an NHS trust in Lincolnshire.
But a bishop said he was "unable" to issue a licence for Mr Pemberton to work for the NHS in Nottinghamshire.
Mr Pemberton's husband described it as "homophobic bullying" and urged supporters to write to the acting Bishop for Southwell and Nottingham, in the hope it will change his decision.
In a statement, Laurence Cunnington said: "I realise that, as Jeremy's husband, I am far from impartial but those of you who know him well will recognise my description of him as a fine man of integrity and exceptional abilities and whose ministry in this diocese would be a tremendous asset to those he serves.
"I am appalled, to put it mildly, that he is to be denied this opportunity solely because of his marital status."
The decision was made by the same acting bishop, the Rt Revd Richard Inwood, who revoked Mr Pemberton's permission to officiate as a priest in June.
He said: "In light of the pastoral guidance and for reasons of consistency, I am unable to issue a licence to Jeremy Pemberton for the post of chaplaincy and bereavement manager, in the Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust."
He said marrying someone of the same sex was "clearly at variance with the teaching of the Church of England", according to pastoral guidance from the House of Bishops.
NHS chaplains are funded by the NHS rather than the Church of England, but a chaplain needs a licence from the relevant diocese.
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said in a statement: "We received a letter from the bishop on Monday 7 July and we are currently considering our response."
Gay marriage became legal in the UK in March but the Church of England has not accepted the change.
However, Mr Cunnington said the acting Dean of Southwell Minster, Nigel Coates, had been "extremely supportive" of his husband's situation and asked people to contact him to express their support.
Other supporters have said they plan to protest at Southwell Minster on 7 October, when the Archbishop of York and the Acting Bishop for Southwell and Nottingham will attend the reopening of the Archbishop's Palace and Great Hall.


A man who admitted posting offensive comments on Facebook about an Edinburgh boy beaten to death by his mother has been jailed for 12 months.

Shaun Moth posted abuse about Mikaeel Kular on the social networking site the day before the three-year-old boy's body was found in a wood in Kirkcaldy.
The 45-year-old posted the comments on an anti-racism page as a police search was underway for the boy in January.
Rosdeep Adekoya, 34, was jailed for 11 years in August for her son's death.
Adekoya had originally been charged with murder, but admitted the reduced charge of culpable homicide.
Moth, from Whitehills in Aberdeenshire, pleaded guilty to conducting himself in a disorderly manner, posting grossly offensive comments on Facebook and breaching the peace, aggravated by religious prejudice when he appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on 4 December.
He was sentenced at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
Sheriff William Summers said Moth had exploited the media attention around the search for Mikaeel in order to "peddle vile abuse".
The sheriff said: "We live in a multi-racial and multi-ethnic society that remains tolerant of others.
"You are entitled to hold whatever views that you want and to hold them strongly.
"But what you said in these posts was at times grotesque.
"Anyone who disseminates this sort of material must recognise that they will be brought to justice.
"This matter is so serious it seems to be that a custodial sentence is the only option."
Three year old Mikaeel, from Edinburgh, was reported missing by his mother on 16 January this year.
Defence agent Stuart Beveridge said his client had "strong views" and that he was abusing alcohol and drugs at the time he made the comments.
Mr Beveridge said: "He accepts that his comments were callous and in the extreme.
"He has been out of work for six years.
"He was drinking heavily and routinely using cocaine.
"He enjoys the process of argument and debate.
"He accepts that he has strong views and went too far on this occasion."


A test for a preventable form of heart disease is being rolled out in the UK.

The DNA blood test aims to spot the one in 500 people in the UK who have familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), an inherited condition that greatly increases a person's heart attack risk.
Left undiagnosed, up to half of people with FH will develop heart disease before they are 60.
Early treatment can bring risk down to a normal level.
People with FH inherit a gene that causes high levels of "bad" cholesterol (LDL) in the blood.
This can lead to hardening of the arteries and an increased risk of heart disease if left untreated.
A DNA test can check for the presence of the faulty gene.
When people are diagnosed, their family should also be offered testing.
If one person is found with FH, on average half their brothers and sisters and half their children will also have the faulty gene and be at high risk of early heart disease.
The British Heart Foundation is funding Â£1m to pay for nurses so that testing can be extended to eight NHS trusts across England and Scotland, after a successful pilot scheme in Wales.
They are:
Some parts of the UK, such as the East of England, will not have access to nearby testing services, however.
Prof Steve Humphries, of the British Heart Foundaton, said: "With an estimated one in 200 families carrying an FH-causing faulty gene in the UK, the introduction of cascade testing represents a huge opportunity to identify and treat people before they suffer from potentially life-threatening heart problems."
Heart UK, The Cholesterol Charity, urged NHS England to launch a national FH testing service.


Coastguard and lifeboat personnel have joined a search for a missing man in Orkney.

Sergei Ivanov, 55, was last seen in Papa Westray last Monday morning.
Police Scotland said there was concern for his welfare.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact police on 101.


British children's author Peter Dickinson, who twice won the Carnegie medal, has died on his 88th birthday.

The fantasy writer won the prestigious medal in 1979 for Tulku and in 1980 for City of Gold.
He wrote almost 60 books which have been translated into 53 different languages and was awarded an OBE for services to literature in 2009.
He died in Winchester, Hampshire, on December 16 after a brief illness, with his family by his side.
His Dark Materials writer Philip Pullman is among the authors who have paid tribute to the Dickinson.
"I was very sorry to hear of the death of Peter Dickinson. He was a fine writer and a lovely man," he tweeted.
Fantasy author and graphic novelist Neil Gaiman added: "The Weathermonger books hit me hard when I was a boy. He was a warm and satisfyingly brilliant writer. Giant Cold was a true dream.
"A real loss to literature. I wish I'd known him and my thoughts and love go to his wife, Robin McKinley."
Dickinson was born in Africa but was educated in England and started his career at the satirical magazine Punch.
He was the first person to win the Carnegie medal twice and was nominated for the prestigious medal nine times, including his last book In The Palace Of The Khans, which was published in 2012.
He was the first and so far only author to win the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger award for two consecutive novels for his detective books Skin Deep in 1968 and A Pride Of Heroes in 1969.
He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and former chairman of the Society of Authors.


A temporary road is to be put in place to improve access to and from Braemar in the wake of the severe flooding damage that has hit the area.

Residents have been left isolated, with part of A93 near Crathie washed away by the flood waters, preventing access from Ballater.
The temporary road is expected to be put in place within the next week.
Aberdeenshire Council chief executive Jim Savege said repairs to Invercauld Bridge should also help ease problems.
Those repairs are expected to be finished within the next fortnight.
Meanwhile, Â£100,000 has been secured from Scottish Business in the Community (SBC) to try to protect historic Abergeldie Castle, which is at risk of collapsing into the swollen River Dee.
The castle's owners were forced to evacuate the 16th century A-listed tower house on Sunday, after the river swept away about 60ft (18m) of land behind the property, leaving it only a few feet from the water.
The funding has allowed a team to undertake initial work.
Aberdeenshire Council said further financing was an issue for the owner and insurers.
Work is ongoing in Ballater to prepare homes for the last remaining residents who are still staying in a rest centre.
Police Scotland said social media rumours of thefts from flooded properties in Ballater were "completely unfounded".
In Aberdeen, police said they were concerned for a man whose belongings were found washed up beside the flooded River Dee.
Terence Kilbride, 48, is known to go camping in the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire areas and could have a bicycle.
On Monday evening, residents in Inverurie in Aberdeenshire were evacuated from their homes after the River Don burst its banks.
Scotland's flood forecasting service has said river levels were generally falling and the risk of more floods was "reducing".
But the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) warned disruption was likely to continue on the roads.


A former Catholic monk accused of child abuse at a Scottish school has been arrested in Australia.

Father Denis "Chrysostom" Alexander was one of several monks accused of abusing boys at the former Fort Augustus Abbey boarding school in the Highlands.
The BBC has learned he has been remanded in custody in Sydney pending his extradition back to Scotland to face trial.
The Crown Office here said it would not comment on legal matters elsewhere.
Father Alexander has always denied the allegations.
In 2013, he was confronted by BBC Scotland in Sydney as part of a documentary which prompted a major police investigation.
Now, three and a half years after that programme, that investigation has taken a significant turn with the former Benedictine monk's arrest.
He will face a further hearing on Wednesday at the local court in New South Wales, where it will emerge if he will oppose the extradition or not. He will also be entitled to apply for bail.
One of Father Alexander's accusers, Hugh Kennedy, has previously spoken of his frustration at the length of time it has taken the Scottish authorities to request the extradition of the former monk who is now 80.
One other former Fort Augustus monk is due to face trial in Scotland soon for a series assaults, whilst a further seven cases remain under consideration by the Crown Office in Scotland.
Fr Alexander was returned by the Catholic Church to Australia in 1979, after allegations of abuse were made by another Fort Augustus Abbey pupil, who the BBC has also spoken to.
No report to the police was made, and no warnings were provided about his alleged offending behaviour, to the Church in Australia where Fr Alexander continued as a priest for a further 20 years or more.
He was stripped of his priestly faculties in 2013 after the BBC programme.


Police have started a murder investigation after a man was shot dead in west Dublin.

The body of Mark Desmond, 41, was found at Griffeen Valley Park in Lucan at about 20:00 local time on Friday.
A burned out car was found close to the scene. A handgun has also been recovered.
RTÃ‰ reports that Desmond, who was originally from Ballyfermot, had previous convictions for violent crime and firearms offences.


Defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan overcame a split cue tip to reach his 12th Masters final with a 6-4 win over Marco Fu at Alexandra Palace in London.

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Fu hit 110 to lead 2-1 before O'Sullivan needed to repair his cue.
The next four frames were shared with O'Sullivan knocking in breaks of 95 and 122 while Hong Kong's Fu hit 141, the highest of the tournament, and 89.
O'Sullivan won the last three frames and will play Joe Perry in Sunday's final after he beat Barry Hawkins 6-5.
"It is probably the best match I have won, given the circumstances," O'Sullivan told BBC Sport.
"The tip was gone, completely gone. It just couldn't take any chalk. I mis-cued five or six times. It was like chalking a bit of slate.
"I was going to wait for the interval but it was so gone and they said 'look, you can take the interval now' and that was sweet."
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The interval normally comes after four frames, but tournament officials allowed the Englishman to fix his cue after frame three.
"I had my cue tip over a kettle because the steam softens it up but it had no affect. I just could not play any shots, I had no touch or feel, so I had to put a new tip on. I was lucky it was a decent tip," he said.
The new tip seemed to galvanise him as he made frame-winning contributions at every opportunity following the interval, knocking in four half centuries in the last three frames.
"If you're playing well you can get away with a new tip. If you're cueing badly and you put a new tip on, it's over," said O'Sullivan.
"I fancied the job. Even with a new tip. I thought 'if I can get a feel of it'."
Fu, runner-up in 2011, added: "It is better to lose like this than for me to collapse and miss easy shots with regret. If he plays like that in the end, you can't do anything. I am not too upset about it. It is just a joy to be involved in a match like this."
O'Sullivan, who has been beaten in three finals this season, is aiming to win the Masters for a record seventh time but when he was told he was in his 12th final, he replied: "I've only won six though so it's not a very good strike record is it?"
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Perry was trailing 5-2 in his semi-final against last year's runner-up Barry Hawkins but won the eighth frame despite needing a snooker.
He followed that up by winning the next three, including a break of 70 in the decider, to take the match.
Perry said: "I really can't believe it. When Barry potted the ball to leave me a snooker, I was thinking about what to say to him and wish him all the best for Sunday. This game is mad, it never ceases to amaze.
"It is the best win of my career. I have to go out against O'Sullivan and play to the best of my ability. You don't know what can happen. From the go, I will go out there to win and not just enjoy the occasion."
Hawkins said: "I am devastated. After the eighth frame he started playing better and made an unbelievable break in that last frame."
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Three-time Masters champion Steve Davis on BBC TV
Marco knows how good a performance has beaten him. You can only be admiring of that.
We have seen Ronnie O'Sullivan produce something special on a number of occasions but from the adversity of having to change his tip halfway through, against a player who was playing so well, that is just a magnificent performance.
Ronnie has to be very proud of himself.
Marco Fu (HK) 4-6 Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng)
99-1 (89), 52-83, 111-0 (110), 4-95 (95), 141-0 (141), 0-122 (122), 83-47 (83), 7-118 (55 & 63), 1-128 (82), 0-70 (69)
Joe Perry (Eng) 6-5 Barry Hawkins (Eng)
73-51 (Hawkins 51), 0-77 (77), 86-38, 0-85 (58), 0-98 (53), 40-61, 61-81, 73-64 (Hawkins 58), 75-41 (57), 63-8 (62), 76-50 (70)
Sign up to My Sport to follow snooker news and reports on the BBC app, or if you want to get involved yourself, read our Get Inspired guide.


Yorkshire seamer Ryan Sidebottom has announced he will retire at the end of the forthcoming county season.

The 39-year-old left-armer played 22 Tests for England, also winning the ICC World Twenty20 title with them in 2010.
He also won five County Championship titles, three with his native Yorkshire and two with Nottinghamshire.
"There's a tear in my eye whenever I think about not playing professional cricket again - a game that's given me so much over the years," he said.
Sidebottom, whose father Arnie also played for Yorkshire and won one Test cap in 1985, has taken 1,028 wickets in all competitions, including 737 in first-class cricket.
Born in Huddersfield, he began and will end his career at Yorkshire, either side of a spell at Nottinghamshire between 2004 and 2010.
"I've always tried to play with a smile on my face and give 110% because I absolutely love this sport," he continued.
"It's been an honour to represent my home county, Yorkshire, play for my country and help make history at Nottinghamshire.
"I couldn't have asked for better team-mates and they've helped me become the cricketer I am today."
After making a wicketless Test debut against Pakistan at Lord's in 2001, Sidebottom had to wait six years for a second chance.
His most successful series came in New Zealand in 2008, when his left-arm swing bowling captured 24 wickets at an average of 17.08 - including a hat-trick in the first Test at Hamilton - in a 2-1 England victory.
He never played against Australia during his Test career, but took 2-26 against them in the 2010 World T20 final as Paul Collingwood's side became the first - and so far only - England team to win a global  International Cricket Council limited-overs tournament.
He retired from international cricket later that year.
Meanwhile, Yorkshire pair Liam Plunkett and Alex Lees have been added to the MCC team for the champion county match against Middlesex, starting in Abu Dhabi on 26 March.
Plunkett replaces injured team-mate Matt Fisher, while Lees comes in for England opener Haseeb Hameed, who has withdrawn from the squad to undergo sinus surgery.


The last few months haven't been too easy for Tom Hiddleston.

In September, he and former girlfriend Taylor Swift broke up after three months together amid accusations their relationship was a publicity stunt.
Then, in January, he apologised for an "inelegantly expressed" winner's speech at the Golden Globes in which he referred to aid workers in South Sudan "binge-watching" The Night Manager.
This time last year, the actor was riding the crest of a wave.
After starring in hugely successful BBC drama The Night Manager as well as the big-screen adaption of JG Ballard's High-Rise, he was a hot favourite to be the next James Bond.
But have his off-screen actions since done damage to his brand?
"Some of the recent headlines have been unhelpful," admits Mark Borkowski, a strategic PR consultant.
"There are events that happen and they're not thought-through properly, and the nature of being caught up with Taylor Swift's gang and not thinking it through strategically has undone him.
"Sometimes people don't recognise the power of their brand, and often you can't conduct yourself in the way you think you can."
But Steven Gaydos, vice-president and executive editor of Variety, thinks Hiddleston is still a hot property, despite his recent PR mishaps.
"I don't think anything he's done to date has put any serious dent into his career," he told the BBC.
"He's a fantastic actor doing fantastic work. He has a fan-base and he's delivering the goods.
"These are just missteps - somebody doing something that causes chatter. In this case Tom Hiddleston made a speech and people thought it was silly, or he dated a woman and people thought it was a little bogus.
"He's not going to be hauled in front of the courts for any of this."
Nonetheless, it's fair to say "Hiddle-Swift" brought Tom a great deal of negative attention.
Some fans thought the couple were being suspiciously open about their relationship, leading to accusations that all was not what it seemed.
Hiddleston has now defended his relationship with Swift in an interview with GQ, saying: "Of course it was real."
He also said the 'I â™¥ T.S. [Taylor Swift]' tank top he was photographed wearing was "a joke", explaining he was lent it by a friend to protect a graze from the sun.
The actor said the pictures of him wearing the shirt were taken "without consent or permission", and that fans and the media had "no context".
"I was just surprised that it got so much attention," he said. "The tank top became an emblem of this thing."
So is this latest interview simply damage limitation? "Absolutely," says Mark Borkowski.
"I don't think Tom Hiddleston knew at the time just how big a brand he was. Now he does know that and has to think carefully.
"This GQ interview is an example of putting the record straight and trying to get a narrative together to try and recover from some poorly judged moments."
Borkowski adds: "There's a beautiful naivety about Tom Hiddleston that is projected through this interview where he's trying to talk directly to his fans. This is material you put there for them."
Hiddleston himself admits in the interview: "A relationship in the limelight takes work. And it's not just the limelight. It's everything else.
"And I'm still trying to work out a way of having a personal life and protecting it, but also without hiding."
Gaydos has a lot of sympathy for the 36-year-old on the Taylor Swift front.
"Imagine you just met someone and you're having a relationship and the whole world is watching. It's like snakes all around you," he says.
"I'd hate to to live in a fish bowl and have every move analysed, with people saying you're a fraud, your relationship is a fraud, everything you're doing is insincere and fake."
Hiddleston has two films coming out later this year  - Thor: Ragnarok and Kong: Skull Island. Gaydos says the film studios won't be particularly worried about Hiddleston's off-screen actions.
"They're worrying about the tracking. If the trailer goes out for Kong and the response isn't strong or the awareness of the movie isn't high, that's what they're really concerned about," he says.
"Tom has not ventured anywhere near the space where we've seen stars screw up their careers and really damage their star wattage."
Borkowski adds: "Anything is recoverable in this day and age.
"Last week we were hearing about the death of the David Beckham brand, but we'd forgotten about it by Thursday.
"Things move so quickly now, so it is always about recovery."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


Teachers are to debate a call for a ballot on strike action over threats to school funding in England.

The National Union of Teachers says schools could face "terrible cuts" if the next government does not protect them from rising financial pressures.
Labour, Conservatives and Lib Dems have pledged to protect school cash.
But rises in pay, pensions and national insurance contributions will place extra pressures on school budgets along with rising pupil numbers.
The Institute of Fiscal Studies has estimated that even with these pledges to protect spending at current levels, rising costs will mean schools could face up to a 12% shortfall on their budgets over the next five years.
Speaking before the debate at the union's annual conference in Harrogate, NUT deputy general secretary Kevin Courtney said the consequences for schools would be "dramatic", with teaching jobs lost and opportunities narrowed.
"We think it is a very difficult situation for schools in the next year.
"This can't be right. What we are looking for is the parties to say they will put enough money in."
The NUT said it intended to hold urgent talks with whichever party or parties form a government after the general election in May before holding any ballot on industrial action.
The motion to be debated by the conference on Sunday says that "if no progress is made in talks with the new government on the issue of funding" the union should be prepared to take strike action.
In the general election campaign there have been different pledges to protect school funding.
Labour said it would protect the schools budget in line with inflation, and the Conservatives have promised to protect per pupil funding in cash terms but not accounting for inflation.
Liberal Democrats have pledged to protect school, early years and college funding in real terms.
A Conservative spokesman said: "We have committed to  protect the money that schools receive for every individual child they teach. As pupil numbers rise, so will the amount of money that schools receive.
"This means we have committed to spending Â£590m more on schools over the next five years than Labour plan to."
Labour's shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said his party would "invest and invest again in education" as a way of raising skills and tackling unemployment.
"A Labour government would protect the entirety of the education budget," said Mr Hunt, saying that it would include early years and post-16 spending.
A Liberal Democrat spokesman said: "You can't raise standards; attract, retain and reward great teachers, and cut the attainment gap between richer and poorer pupils if schools are starved of cash.
"Liberal Democrats will protect the full education budget in real terms - including schools, early years and 16-19 education - as we have done with schools in this parliament."
If the strike ballot motion is backed on Sunday, it will commit the NUT to working with other unions to "prepare for and ballot for a national campaign of strike and non-strike action" on the "impact of cuts on pay and working conditions".


A man brandishing a knife threatened shopkeepers in two incidents at convenience stores in Ayrshire.

Police said a man fled empty handed after targeting the Ali's General Store in Hearth Place, Cumnock, at about 19:40 on Saturday.
A short time later, at about 20:20, a man made off with a three-figure sum from the Day 2 Day store in Highpark Avenue, New Cumnock.
Officers believe he may have had an accomplice and access to transport.
They have urged anyone with information to contact them.
The suspect in both incidents was described as white, 5ft 7ins to 5ft 10ins, wearing a blue and grey jacket, a light face mask or scarf, black trousers, dark footwear and gloves.
Det Ch Insp Alan Sommerville said: "Thankfully on neither occasion were staff injured but what happened was very distressing and frightening for them to experience.
"Unfortunately, this is the second time the shop in New Cumnock was targeted - the last time being in November last year when another member of staff was on duty.
"From our investigations, we believe that it is the same man who is responsible for both incidents last night.
"We also believe, due to the timescale and the distance of seven miles between the two shops, he must have had access to some form of transport."
He added: "From CCTV and from speaking to staff, we know that there were a number of people outside both shops shortly before and after the crimes.
"We understand some were regulars and would ask them or anyone who recognises the description of the suspect or who has information that will assist officers with their enquiries to come forward.
"One line of inquiry is that the suspect may have had an accomplice - maybe someone hanging outside the shops when he was inside."


A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man was stabbed to death at a house in Greater Manchester.

Police were called to Claybank Street, Heywood, at about 17:45 BST on Sunday, following reports two people had been assaulted.
A 52-year-old man was found with stab wounds and later died in hospital. A 37-year-old woman, also at the house, suffered facial injuries.
Police said a 34-year-old man was in custody for questioning.
Greater Manchester Police said it believed the tragic attack was "an isolated incident".
Det Ch Insp John Harris said: "The news a man has been murdered, coupled with the police presence at the address, will most likely cause some concern to residents.
"We will have officers in and around the area should any residents wish to come and talk to us or pass on any information they may have about this terrible incident."


Shares in Standard Life closed down 3.1% on Tuesday after a drop in annuity business dampened profits for the insurer and asset manager.

The group said first-half pre-tax operating profit rose 6% to £290m.
However, it reported a £39m fall in its spread/risk margin, compared with the previous year, as a result in part of lower annuity sales.
This year the pressure for retirees to use their pension pots to buy an annuity was lifted completely.
In a trading statement, the Edinburgh-based company said it expected annuity new business to drop by between £10m and £15m this year, with asset liability management falling by £30m-£40m, compared with 2014.
Standard Life has been switching focus to "fee-based" business, such as more flexible drawdown pensions, and its asset management arm.
The group added 120,000 new customers in the UK through auto-enrolment in the first half, contributing to a 15% increase in regular contributions into workplace pensions.
Meanwhile, assets under administration rose 2% from December 2014 to £302.1bn, which the company said had been driven by increased demand for its investment solutions and the acquisition last year of fund manager Ignis Asset Management.
The insurer said it would pay a dividend of 6.02p per share, an increase of 7.5%.
Outgoing chief executive David Nish said: "Standard Life has performed well during the first half of 2015 driven by a focus on providing value for our customers, clients and shareholders.
"We have increased the assets that we administer on behalf of our customers to £302bn helped by strong demand for our propositions."
He added: "Our UK fee-based propositions continue to build momentum with regular contributions into our workplace pensions up 15%.
"The strength of these propositions, investment solutions and our market positioning means we have been able to help our customers with the new pensions regulations and continue to support them as saving for their futures becomes increasingly front of mind."
Mr Nish is due to stand down on Wednesday, and will be replaced by Keith Skeoch, currently head of Standard Life Investments.
Shares fell 14.1p to 440.3p, valuing the company at £8.6bn.


China's land reclamation is creating a "great wall of sand" in the South China Sea, a top US official says, leading to "serious questions" on its intentions.

US Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Harry Harris made the comments in a speech in Australia on Tuesday night.
He said by pumping sand on to coral reefs and adding concrete, China had created "over 4sq/km (1.5 sq miles) of artificial landmass".
China has overlapping claims with neighbours in the South China Sea.
It has been reclaiming land in contested waters - something it said last year was "totally justified" as it had "sovereignty" over the area.
In recent months images have emerged of Chinese construction on reefs in the Spratly Islands to create artificial islands with facilities that could potentially be for military use, including an air strip.
Several nations, including Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan, also claim ownership of territory in the Spratly Islands.
Adm Harris described China's land reclamation as "unprecedented".
"China is building artificial land by pumping sand on to live coral reefs - some of them submerged - and paving over them with concrete. China has now created over 4sq/km (1.5 sq miles) of artificial landmass," he said.
"China is creating a great wall of sand with dredges and bulldozers over the course of months."
He said that considering China's "pattern of provocative actions towards smaller claimant states" in the South China Sea, the scope of the building raised "serious questions about Chinese intentions".
The row over territory in the South China Sea has escalated in recent years, raising regional tensions.
The Philippines has filed a complaint with UN's Permanent Court of Arbitration - but China says it will not engage with the case.
In Vietnam, anti-Chinese violence broke out last year after China moved a drilling rig into disputed waters of the Paracel Islands.
Last year, responding to a BBC report on the land reclamation, China's foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said China's operations in the Spratly Islands fell "entirely within China's sovereignty and are totally justifiable".
Asked whether the reclamation was for commercial or military use, Ms Hua replied that it was "mainly for the purpose of improving the working and living conditions of people stationed on these islands".