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Police Under Fire For Killing Innocent Man

Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead on Friday in London
Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead on Friday in London



London's police chief said he deeply regretted the killing of an
innocent Brazilian in the hunt for the attackers, but added that police
remain under orders to shoot suspected suicide bombers in the head if
necessary.



British police remain under orders to shoot suspected suicide bombers
in the head if necessary, London's police chief Ian Blair said Sunday,
despite having mistakenly killed an innocent man.



When asked by Sky Television if the police had shoot-to-kill
instructions in such cases, Blair replied: "They have to be that.
Because there's no point in shooting at somebody's chest because that's
where the bomb is likely to be."



He added: "There's no point in shooting anywhere else because if they
fall down they detonate it. It is drawn on the experience from other
countries including Sri Lanka."



"The only way to deal with this is to shoot to the head," the
Metropolitan Police commissioner said.



Blair expressed "deep regrets" over Friday's incident when police
mistakenly shot a Brazilian man during a chase onto a subway train in
south London, a day after a new wave of attempted bombings.



Brazil's foreign ministry demanded an explanation into the "lamentable
error" which saw 27-year-old electrician Jean Charles de Menezes
pursued through a subway station before being cornered and shot
repeatedly in the head.



The country was "outraged and amazed" that the man was mistakenly shot
by police, a statement issued by the Brazilian foreign ministry said.



Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes, center, is seen in this undated
photo with relatives.
Menezes' family is said to be shocked by the circumstances surrounding
his death.



His cousin, Alex Alves Pereira, from London, told the BBC: "Apologies
are not enough. I believe my cousin's death was result of police
incompetence." Describing his cousin as a "person full of life" he said
his cousin was "a victim of government's mistakes."



Britain's Muslims wary



British Islamic groups called for a public inquiry into the shooting,
worried that the Asian ethnic origin of some of the bombers could see
Muslims targeted by police.



Dr Azzam Tamimi, from the Muslim Association of Britain, told BBC News
the police should review their procedures. "It is human lives that are
being targeted whether by terrorists or whether in this case
unfortunately by people who are supposed to be chasing or catching the
terrorists," Tamimi said. "This is very frightening, people will be
afraid to walk the streets now."



British Muslims perform their traditional Friday prayers in Regent's
Park Mosque, in London.
Massoud Shadjareh, head of the London-based Islamic Human Rights
Commission, called for a full public inquiry. "How can you shoot
someone on mere suspicion? You can't even put someone in prison on
suspicion, how can you kill them like that?" he said.



"A cornered rabbit"



But newspapers and London's mayor called for understanding. The carnage
of the July 7 bombings, in which four suicide attackers and 52 others
died, and the near-miss Thursday when bombs used in a repeat attack
seemingly failed to explode properly, meant police faced an impossible
situation, they said.



"The police acted to do what they believed necessary to protect the
lives of the public. This tragedy has added another victim to the toll
of deaths for which the terrorists bear responsibility," London mayor
Ken Livingstone said.



Police gather outside Stockwell station, south London where they shot
and killed a man.
Terrified subway passengers scattered in panic on Friday morning as
plain-clothed police pursued Menezes, who relatives said was going to
work, through Stockwell Underground station in south London.



Witnesses said the Brazilian -- described as looking "like a cornered
rabbit" -- fell to the floor in a train carriage before a policeman
standing directly above shot him five times in the head.



Police faced tough choice



"For somebody to lose their life in such circumstances is a tragedy and
one that the Metropolitan Police Service regrets," London's police
force said Saturday in their first admission they had killed an
innocent man.



Britsh police are under fire following the revelation that the man they
shot and killed on Friday was an innocent Brazilian
Initially, police said Menezes was linked to Thursday's attacks, noting
that he was wearing a thick coat on a warm summer day, prompting fears
he could be carrying explosives.



Sunday's newspapers agreed that however tragic the outcome, it was
difficult to blame police for taking the action they did.



If a suicide bomber is merely wounded "he can massacre in his final
seconds of consciousness", The Mail on Sunday noted in its editorial.
"In the London of July 2005, few would want the police to take any
chances. And bear in mind that if the Stockwell suspect had been
wearing a suicide belt, the officers who shot him would be lauded as
heroes and loaded with medals, as well as the thanks of a grateful
public."



Probe gathers speed



As the controversy raged, the police investigation into the bombings
appeared to be advancing at speed, with much information gathered from
the four failed rucksack-based bombs abandoned on Thursday.



According to The Observer newspaper, documents found in one of the
rucksacks have led police towards a potentially vital clue -- a
possible link between the two sets of attackers.



In this CCTV image made available in London Saturday, 16 July 2005, by
the Metropolitan Police, the four London bombers are seen arriving at
Luton railway station at 0721 local time on Thursday, 07 July 2005. The
image shows from L-R Hasib Hussain, Germaine Lindsay, dark cap,
Mohammed Sidique Khan, light cap, and Shahzad Tanweer. EPA/LONDON
METROPOLITAN POLICE/HO +++(c) dpa - Report+++

According to the paper, some of the suspected bombers from Thursday are
believed to have been on a whitewater rafting trip in Wales attended by
two of the July 7 bombers, Mohammad Sidique Khan and Shahzad Tanweer.
The trip could even have been a "bonding" exercise for all concened,
meaning the attacks were planned jointly, the paper said.



Two men have now been arrested in what has become one of Britain's
biggest-ever manhunts. Both were detained during raids Friday in
Stockwell, near where the Brazilian man was shot.



Police said Saturday that almost 500 people had called them after they
released security camera images of the four suspected bombers, which
were plastered over the front pages of Saturday's press.



"Detectives are now working through the information from the phone
calls and e-mails and are hopeful that there will be significant lines
of enquiry to follow," a police statement said.



Additionally, officers raided an apartment in the Streatham area of
south London, not far from Stockwell.



London remains on edge



But nerves remained on edge in the British capital.



A park in northwest London was cordoned off Saturday as police said
they were investigating a suspect package found there, which according
to one report had nails and bolts packed around it and wires
protruding.



An examination "suggests that the object may be linked to devices
found" on Thursday, police said in a statement.



Adding to the concerns, two Britons were feared dead after suicide car
bombers struck Egypt's Red Sea tourist resort of Sharm el-Sheikh,
killing at least 88 people.
D

Zhu De

"none" <> wrote in message
news:...
Police Under Fire For Killing Innocent Man

<< Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead on Friday in London>>

Sadly, just have to add his name to the list of 50 odd other unfortunate,
innocent bystanders who had their lives curtailed by the efforts of the
Kamikaze nutters on the London Underground.

Osmo R

none wrote:


    >
    > He added: "There's no point in shooting anywhere else because if they
    > fall down they detonate it. It is drawn on the experience from other
    > countries including Sri Lanka."
    >

I find worrying that the British police takes lessons from countries
like Sri Lanka. The man was subdued already so there was no reason
whatsoever to shoot him. A human life is too precious to be taken merely
because of a suspicion.

Osmo