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The Brazilian man shot dead by police in south London, who mistook him for a suicide bomber, had been in Britain on an out-of-date visa, officials say.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?"
Sure, but like I said, tens of thousands of cops carry guns every day in America, and it's the unusual case where a mistake is made. Britain bans their cops from carrying guns generally. They give a handful of cops guns in this one emergency, and a few days later, there is this.
They are off to a bad start.
They did not screw up!
Yep , that's the headline, what the MSM has been loathe to tell everyone is that the Dad was an illegal, was a cocaine smuggler, had been deported several times , and was holding the baby as he walked out from his dwelling where he had been holed up for several hours resisting the police request to come out, and was blazing away at the police with his GUN!!!!
The police have photos of this !!!
That is the most ignorant post of the year!
I would like to hear anyone shoot this thing down, that is, eliminate it as a possibility. (My post #189)
Oh, I was aware of it all, but they didn't advertise the negative side of the hoodlum in the news at all.
He was fleeing the interview.
Thanks for the follow-up. This doesn't look too good for the British Authorities, IMO. A bunch of plain-clothes folks ordering you to stop and then chasing you might evoke a similar reaction from many people on this board and in America as a whole. At this point, I want to see the tape too. Maybe he thought he was about to be robbed (not uncommon no-handguns-for-thee-England)
MJ
We are not unsympathetic with regard to that family's loss. To them it is a real tragedy. But society should not be taught, through the courts, that they have a particular right to compensation.
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