Posted on 07/25/2005 9:48:01 AM PDT by F14 Pilot
LONDON (AFP) - Prime Minister Tony Blair said that Britain was "desperately sorry" for the death of an innocent Brazilian man who was shot dead by police in an anti-terror chase in London last week.
"We are all desperately sorry for the death of an innocent person, and I understand the feelings of the young man's family," Blair told a press conference.
"But we also have to understand that the police are doing their job in very very difficult circumstances and I think it's important we give them every support," Blair said at Number 10 Downing Street, his office and residence.
Blair's spokesman said Foreign Secretary Jack Straw spoke to his Brazilian counterpart Celso Amorim on Sunday about the "context" in which anti-terror police killed 27-year-old electrician Jean Charles de Menezes on Friday.
"As Jack Straw said yesterday, we deeply regret what happened," he said.
The spokesman refused to comment on the specifics of the Brazilian's death but urged understanding for the new challenges that police faced.
The threat of terrorism "poses unique challenges which have then to be decided by the police as to how they respond," he added.
"The problem is that it does come to a split-second decision and what the police face is a threat not only to themselves -- which is what makes this different -- but to the public and to the surrounding area," the spokesman said.
Witnesses said a frightened Menezes was shot several times at close range by plainclothes officers who had chased him through Stockwell Underground station in south London on Friday after a surveillance operation.
Police at the time said they opened fire because their suspect had refused to obey instructions.
London police chief Ian Blair said Sunday that police were under orders to shoot suicide bombers in the head and that the policy would remain in place.
The shooting came a day after a botched attempt to blow up three subway trains and a bus. On July 7, four bombers killed themselves and 52 other people in London, also on three subway trains and a bus.
Amorim said Sunday that he expected Britain to launch "a full investigation" into his killing and had received "reassurances in that respect."
Britain's Independent Police Complaints Commission is due to hold an investigation into the incident under standard procedure for all deaths following police action.
Alex Alves Pereira, a cousin of the victim, said de Menezes did "not have a past that would make him run" from police and was simply on his way to work from his home in Tulse Hill, south London.
Former British foreign secretary Robin Cook, who quit Tony Blair's government in protest over the Iraq war, told BBC television the blunder dealt "a very serious blow to our relations" with Brazil, an important ally.
PING!
Of course, from Yahoo news.
Blair, you disappoint me.
When the police shout STOP !!! don't run .. .. ..
Problem solved . thanks
that's right Britain should ignore folks bombing their metro, having a huge economic impact in the form of fear to go to market and fear for workers to travel to work because they might lose face with the Brazilian economy.
If this man was so "innocent", why was he wearing a heavy coat on a warm summer day and why did he run from the police?
Innocent? Someone staying in a country on an expired VISA is hardly innocent.
Innocent??? Hogwash! The dude, where or not he understood "Stop!" or not was breaking the law. What the heck was he doing wearing a coat during the middle of August? He certainly understood the cops were chasing him bandishing guns and hollering at him. He certainly noticed bystanders screaming out and dropping to the ground, but noooo, he had to take off running and jumping over gates. The only thing Blair should be sorry for is he's not alive to be questioned about his behavior.
Except that, in this case, the police were in plainclothes, which makes it hard to verify identity.
Although, on the other hand Mr. Menezes was in the UK on an expired visa.
So any one on an expired visa must be shot to death 5 times?
"Innocent? Someone staying in a country on an expired VISA is hardly innocent."
Exactly. He is just guilty of a different crime than anticipated.
Wow, it's already August where you are?
It was a overcast day apparently, and this dude was from a tropical area in Brazil. As for running, there is talk in the UK that his VISA had long expired and he was supposed to be out of the country...hence, a good reason to run. I wouldn't say anyting else...the guy should have stopped, and died because of his stupid actions. Had this been a month ago, no one would say anything and he would have been simply roughed up...but times have changed. So this guy's luck ran out. Perhaps a good punishment is to have the Uk play Brazil in the finals of the world cup next year.
"So any one on an expired visa must be shot to death 5 times?"
That and similar measures would certainly help immigration problems.
No, but having an expired visa may have contributed to his running away.
Yep, he was an illegal alien running from justice. His family is understandably upset, but his actions fell right into the mistaken ID of a terrorist. I'm glad Britian is holding firm and not changing policy over this.
Yeah and that is why we try to secure Iraq-Syrian borders
We are all very sorry the young man ran.
I'd be disappointed if Blair felt there was some reason to change the shoot to kill policy, but I see no problem with lamenting the death of an innocent man.
He should have stopped when told to. He didn't. It's sad that he made that stupid choice.
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