Posted on 07/25/2005 5:07:52 AM PDT by MadIvan
The Brazilian man shot dead by police in south London, who mistook him for a suicide bomber, had been in Britain on an out-of-date visa, officials say.
Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, may have run from police because of his visa situation, BBC correspondents say.
The electrician had come to the UK on a student visa, which allows people to work for a small number of hours.
Relatives of Mr Menezes are considering suing over the Stockwell Tube shooting, saying police will have "to pay".
Meanwhile, detectives are still hunting for the men who attempted to blow up three London Tube trains and a bus last Thursday.
Three men have been arrested so far, but it is thought the four would-be bombers are still free and may have access to explosives.
Meanwhile, Chris Fox, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, gave his support to the Metropolitan Police's "shoot-to-kill" policy with potential suicide bombers, in the wake of Friday's shooting of Mr Menezes.
"Shoot-to-kill is very good headline but, in fact, what we have to do is have a series of tactics which range from disruption to the very, very final moment when you have to shoot and the aim is to prevent the criminal or suspect causing harm to other people," he said.
Under surveillance
However, the victim's cousin, Alex Pereira, who is based in London, said: "[The police] have to pay for [Friday's killing] in many ways, because if they do not, they are going to kill many people, they are going to kill thousands of people.
"They just kill the first person they see, that's what they did.
"They killed my cousin, they could kill anyone."
Mr Menezes was killed after fleeing armed police as he travelled to work.
He had been followed by police from his block of flats in Tulse Hill, which was under surveillance in the hunt for the group behind Thursday's attempted bombings.
Mr Menezes had boarded the number 2 bus to Stockwell.
Police said his padded jacket had heightened suspicions about his journey. He was shot as he ran on to a train.
Heavy coats or clothing are often worn by suicide bombers in other parts of the world to help them disguise their bombs.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.
In Brazil, relatives are demanding answers to why Mr Menezes ran and why he was shot by police.
Cousin Maria do Socorro, speaking before details about the visa emerged, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think they acted incompetently, like amateurs.
"You would think the British police would be prepared, but they are panicking and seeing everyone as a suspect.
"If you are going to have a war on terror, you have got to use brains to fight it not just brute force."
Friends of Mr Menezes in London said he had recently returned to Brazil for eight months to be with his father, who was being treated for cancer.
'Highly trained'
Fausto Soares, 26, said Mr Menezes had been sending money to pay for the treatment and was concerned how the family would now cope financially.
Former Prime Minister Sir John Major has defended the police's actions.
Speaking on the Today programme, Sir John said: "These officers are very highly trained. Very few of them are permitted to carry arms, but in that second they had no-one to help them, no-one to turn to.
"They had to make a decision. Do we take this dreadful decision to shoot, or do we face the risk that conceivably, if our worst fears are right, a bomb could be detonated that could kill people, including them, in the next second or so?"
The Brazilian has shown every person what NOT to do when they see a policeman, and he tells them to stop. This is a good lesson for everyone.
When I talk of something being relevant, I mean would it be grounds for suspecting the dead guy to be a terrorist? Clearly not, as they didn’t know who he was, let alone his visa status.
Ok, if he overstayed his visa he was a naughty boy, but it’s not grounds for being shot. His visa status’s only real relevance is as motive for him running from the police, as most will wonder what on Earth prompted him to do that.
When the investigation focuses on whether the police were right to shoot, I doubt they’ll give much thought to the guy’s visa status.
If it had been me, I'd have emptied the clip and then pistol-whipped him!
I agreed with you on that, especially in light of the article excerpt on illegial visas and crackdowns on expired visas. Everything's freepy.
You continue to insist that this situation is related to British gun laws, and you refuse to factor in that this was in a subway that had been bombed by terrorists.
The man was running away, dressed suspiciously where bombings had just occurred. If this had been NYC or DC under the same circumstances, the man would be dead.
It was HIS fault, sadly..........not the fault of British restrictions on firearms.
Show me us the money!!!!
These Brazilians you have over there (UK) seem as if they could care less about your fight with Islamic terror. Could care less that 70 Londoners were killed (many more maimed) during the recent Muslim terror attack. Could care less about how tense London is and how this illegal alien brought this all upon himself by not obeying police commands to halt. Now do you still wonder why Brazil is a 3rd world shithole?
BTW we in the USA have a tremendous problem with illegal alien Brazilians. They are jamming over the Mexico border along with the Mexicans and Central Americans
while still living.
I don't see it as a police mistake at all. He was an illegal immigrant and fled from police in an area that had been victimized with multiple terrorist strikes just days before.
As far as I'm concerned, the mistake was all on the part of the fleeing illegal immigrant.
This fellow did absolutely everything wrong. The police did absolutely everything right. It's strange when such a situation is still a tragedy.
Regards, Ivan
This illegal alien Brazilain sure picked the wrong day to jump a London turnstile!!!
Not they didn't. They were mistaken about the target, but that doesn't make their ecision wrong.
You would feel at ease sitting on to of a suicide bomber?
Was it argentina or Brazil where terrorists blew up the Israeli Embassy, and another location? What gives anyone the idea, that South America is some sort of peace loving haven. Anyone heard of Carlos THE JACKEL?
maybe not - but just knock over his beer and see what happens.
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