Posted on 07/24/2005 6:11:57 AM PDT by areafiftyone
Met Police chief Sir Ian Blair has apologised to the family of the Brazilian man shot dead by police in south London on Friday.
He said the death of Jean Charles de Menezes was a "tragedy", but admitted more people could be shot as police hunt suspected suicide bombers.
The 27-year-old electrician's family condemned the shooting and said there was no reason to suspect him.
Brazil's foreign minister said his country was "shocked" by the shooting.
Scotland Yard confirmed on Saturday that Mr Menezes, who lived in Brixton, south London, was completely unconnected to Thursday's attempted bombings on three Tube trains and a bus.
Two men have been arrested and are still being questioned.
Police carried out controlled explosions on Sunday on a suspect package found in north-west London which may be linked to the failed attacks.
Armed officers' dilemma
Speaking on Sky News, Sir Ian said: "This is a tragedy. The Metropolitan Police accepts full responsibility for this. To the family I can only express my deep regrets."
He said there was no reason the believe the four men sought over the failed bombings - whose images caught on CCTV were released on Friday - had left the country.
He acknowledged that "somebody else could be shot" as the hunt continued, but added "everything is done to make it right".
But he said the "shoot to kill" policy for dealing with suspected suicide bombers would remain in force.
"There is no point in shooting at someone's chest because that is where the bomb is likely to be," he said.
"There is no point in shooting anywhere else if they fall down and detonate it."
'Tragedy'
Mr Menezes's family is struggling to come to terms with the circumstances surrounding Mr Menezes' death.
JEAN CHARLES DE MENEZES
Born 07/01/78, a Brazilian national
Originally from the city of Gonzaga, 500 miles northeast of Sao Paulo in the south-eastern state of Minas Gerais in Brazil
Lived in Brixton, London for three years, working as an electrician
Family mourn police victim
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".
He said Mr Menezes was from the city of Gonzaga in Minas Gerais state and had lived in London legally for over three years.
Mr Menezes' grandmother, Zilda Ambrosia de Figueiredo, told Globo TV "there was no reason to think he was a terrorist".
'Shocked and perplexed'
Brazil's foreign minister Celso Amorim met officials at the Foreign Office in London on Sunday to seek an explanation for the shooting.
"The Brazilian government and the public are shocked and perplexed that a peaceful and innocent person should have been killed," he said.
"Brazil is totally in solidarity with Britain in the fight against terror but people should be cautious to avoid the loss of innocent life."
He said he spoke by phone with foreign secretary Jack Straw, who promised a full investigation into the death.
"I said that was very important. We can't recover the life of the Brazilian citizen who has been killed, but we can discover the details."
Mr Amorim is due to meet Mr Straw in person on Monday evening.
The BBC's correspondent in Brazil, Tom Gibb, said Mr Menezes had lived for a time in a slum district of Sao Paulo and that could explain why he had run from the police.
He said: "The murder rates in some of these slums are worse than in a lot of war zones and that could explain why, when plain clothes officers pulled a gun on him, he may have run away."
The shooting is being investigated by officers from Scotland Yard's Directorate of Professional Standards, and will be referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
Government minister Peter Hain said the threat of suicide bombings had put police under "enormous pressure", but added that they were acting responsibly.
Suspicious package
Searches are continuing in the area where a package was found by a member of the public in bushes in Little Wormwood Scrubs on Saturday.
The package has been removed for forensic examination after several controlled explosions.
Officers raided a house in Streatham on Saturday Anti-Terrorist Branch head DAC Peter Clarke said: "The object appears to have been left in the bushes, rather than hidden. I would urge the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious items or activity."
Officers are also still searching an address raided on Saturday in Streatham Hill, south London, in connection with the failed attacks.
Meanwhile the News of the World newspaper has offered a £100,000 reward to catch the second wave of London bombers.
I did another search and "pare" in Portuguese translates to "it stops"
From ORBAT.
..Which leaves us with the question: why did he run when police told him to stop? He was ordered to stop as he crossed a main street, but ran into the subway station, vaulted security barriers and ticket turnstiles, and kept running till he got onto a waiting train and was killed.
Remember the foiled Ricin attacks, what if this man was carrying something that has prompted the British govt to take the hit on a wrong killing, to preserve public peace and not create panic.
I think the killing as a mistake is a cover story. The ramifications of even a foiled WMD attack would be tremendous. That's why the shots to the head after the guy RAN away.
Different situation! A suicide bomber is RUNNING AWAY! The police have him under surveillance SINCE he left the neighborhood and DON'T attempt to stop him until he gets to a crowd? And the police now say he had nothing to do with the bombings. I'm not drinking Kool-Aid or filtering, my BS meter just went to the warning level.
Given the circumstances, I am convinced that that is not so. If the suspect had halted as ordered, I believe that he would have been tackled, taken to the ground, sat upon, and five shots would have been fired into his head. I believe this because that is the stated policy and tactics of the authorities.
You can blame the cops if you want, you can claim you would react differently, but it all means squat. They did what they did because it was the right thing to do at the time. Hindsight is always 20-20.
I notice you didn't have much to say once I provided proof for what I wrote. No matter. Now you're yammering about a suicide bomber "running away." In your zeal to tar and feather the Brit police, you leave out the point that where he's running TO is where all the people are, where a suicide bomber can do the most damage.
And if the suspect that the police are sitting on is believed to have a bomb on him or in his backpack, and the suspect won't keep his hands away from his body, what should the police do then?
I do wonder however when Springsteen is going to make up a song about it.
So, he couldn't do damage on a street full of people?
Incapacitating shot. They got close enough to trip him and shot the head 5 times, they could've pumped his lungs, legs, arms, neck full of lead.
Clock, give it up. You're way wrong on this one. Yes, there were some people on the street--but a bomb would do the most harm in an enclosed place, such as a bus or a train--and these are often crowded.
LOL--or hurting the hand if they DID shoot the gun out of it, no doubt!
Apparently they weren't taking the British cops seriously until this. Or did they think the shoot to kill rule was a suggestion.
Apparently they weren't taking the British cops seriously until this. Or did they think the shoot to kill rule was a suggestion.
This man is no different from one who points an empty gun at police. Innocent victim NOT.
How do we know he is innocent? Maybe he runs materials for terrorists.
I am sure there are thousands of non-moslem useful idiots willing to aid them.
Where is Mi5 in all this? Was it their intelligence that lead police on the hunt?
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