Posted on 08/09/2003 5:54:45 PM PDT by Pokey78
Police have been ordered to "shoot to kill" suicide bombers following intelligence warnings that an al-Qa'eda terrorist attack in Britain may be imminent.
The Telegraph can reveal that Sir John Stevens, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, placed his force on its highest alert last week.
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He also took the unprecedented step of ordering all front-line officers to be trained in how to spot potential suicide bombers and how to respond.
The decision to issue new guidance has been prompted by intelligence passed to Britain by the FBI in a secret briefing in late July. It warned that London, along with several other foreign cities, was facing an increasing threat of a suicide bomb attack.
Britain has already been targeted by al-Qa'eda twice this year, although both plots were foiled. In January, police seized the deadly poison ricin from a flat in north London. The following month, they uncovered a plot to attack Heathrow. Troops and tanks were sent to guard the airport.
Sir John has now ordered that the hundreds of armed officers in the capital must shoot to kill if they believe that someone is trying to detonate explosives carried on their body or in a vehicle.
His instructions do not alter the law or the rules governing police use of firearms, but they make clear that if officers fear loss of life they will be justified in killing the suspect.
The Association of Chief Police Officers' rules state that armed police can use "reasonable force" to prevent injury or death. If a suspect is killed unjustifiably, however, the officer could still face trial for murder or manslaughter.
One senior officer said: "He's made it plain that if we think we are facing a suicide bomber, we should shoot first and ask questions later."
Sir John has also told his officers that information from British intelligence indicates there are more al-Qa'eda agents in Britain than previously thought. He believes that the terror network is sufficiently extensive to be able to mount suicide attacks.
Senior Metropolitan Police officers were briefed on the increasing threat at a presentation held at Scotland Yard's firearms unit last week. Extra guidance on countering suicide bombers is now being given to officers in London, and will be extended to other forces next month.
The training and guidance is being organised by specialist officers who have visited Sri Lanka and Israel, which have long experience of suicide bombings. The new guidance will be included in a counter-terrorist manual, compiled by Chief Insp Andy Latto, Scotland Yard's senior firearms instructor.
"Suicide bombers are getting better at killing people," he said. "The increase in deaths is far superior to the increase in incidents. We are currently briefing chief officers across the country and the information will cascade down to officers."
Although much of the content of the manual is confidential, it will examine the various methods of suicide attackers, who often pack their devices with either nails or ballbearings to cause maximum wounding.
It is understood to detail the cases of the two British suicide bombers who struck in Tel Aviv in April - as a warning that Britons have been trained in such attacks.
One of the pair was killed, along with three other people, when his bomb exploded. The other fled when his failed to detonate. He was later found dead in the sea.
The Met is so concerned about the dangers posed by al-Qa'eda that officers are to stage a mock attack on a London Underground station next month to test police ability to prevent, react to and deal with the aftermath of a terrorist incident.
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