A rchive Date
[ 24-07-2005 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Britain ]
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[http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2005/07/21/1141207-ap.html
London police chief expresses regret
By MICHAEL MCDONOUGH
July 24, 2005
LONDON (AP) - The head of London's police force expressed deep regret Sunday for the death of a Brazilian man shot and killed by officers who mistook him for a suspect in the recent terror bombings.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair also said there were similarities between the explosives used in Thursday's failed bomb attacks and those detonated in the deadly July 7 bombings.
He added, however, that investigators still had "no proof" that the two strikes were linked.
"The equipment in the bombs had all the elements that it should have but it didn't work," Blair told Sky News TV, referring to the explosives placed Thursday on three subway cars and a double-decker bus that failed to detonate properly.
"It had some similarities" to the devices used by the four suicide bombers who killed themselves and 52 other people in three subway trains and a double-decker bus on July 7.
Asked if the attacks were connected, Blair replied: "We have no proof that they are linked but clearly there is a pattern here."
Police have made two arrests following Thursday's botched attacks. Officers have not released their identities or many other details about them. Blair said the detainees remain in custody, but added that officers were "still anxious for any sighting of the four individuals" who carried out the Thursday strikes.
Police also said a package found in west London on Saturday may be linked to the devices used in Thursday's bomb attempts, but gave no details of what the package contained.
The man shot Friday at the Stockwell subway station was identified as Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, a Brazilian citizen. Witnesses said he was wearing a heavy padded coat when plainclothes police chased him into a subway car, pinned him to the ground and shot him five times in the head and torso in front of horrified passengers.
Police initially said they believed Menezes was a suspect in Thursday's attacks, but later said he had no connection to the bomb attempts.
"This is a tragedy," Blair said of the shooting. "The Metropolitan Police accepts full responsibility for this. To the family I can only express my deep regrets."
Police said Menezes attracted police attention because he left a house that was under surveillance after Thursday's attacks. "He was then followed by surveillance officers to the station. His clothing and his behavior at the station added to their suspicions," officers said.
In Brazil, the Foreign Ministry said it was "shocked and perplexed," over the death of Menezes, whom they did not name, but described as "apparently the victim of a lamentable mistake."
Britain's Foreign Office said that Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, who is on a visit to London, would be holding a private meeting with Lord Triesman, a junior minister, to discuss the circumstances of the shooting.
Brazilian media reported that Menezes was an electrician who had been legally living and working in England for three years.
"He spoke English very well, and had permission to study and work there," Menezes' cousin Maria Alves told the O Globo Online Web site from her home in Sao Paulo. Menezes was originally from the city of Gonzaga in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.
Mayor Ken Livingstone said the killing was a "human tragedy" that was a consequence of the attacks.
"The police acted to do what they believed necessary to protect the lives of the public," he said. "This tragedy has added another victim to the toll of deaths for which the terrorists bear responsibility."
The shooting was an indication of the anxiety in the city of about 8 million people. A police watchdog organization, the Independent Police Complaints Commission, said it would investigate the shooting but make sure not to hinder the bombings probe.
Shami Chakrabarti, director of the civil rights group Liberty, said such an investigation was critical for reassuring the public.
"It's incredibly important that society remains united at such a tense time, it's very important that young Asian men don't feel that there is some kind of trigger-happy culture out there," Chakrabarti said.
Iqbal Sacranie, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said, "It's absolutely vital that the utmost care is taken to ensure that innocent people are not killed due to overzealousness."
Thousands of officers fanned out in a huge manhunt amid hopes the publication of closed-circuit TV images of four suspected attackers would lead to their capture. Blair declined to say if the men in custody were among the four pictured.
Security alerts kept the city on edge. On Saturday, police briefly evacuated the Mile End subway station, where there were reports that one of the four suspects was seen and someone smelled something burning.
Service was suspended on parts of two subway lines, but police later said the incident "turned out to be nothing."
Fears of a new terrorist attack led Italian soccer powerhouse Inter Milan to cancel its English tour, a move criticized by England's Norwich City soccer team.
"We find Inter Milan's decision hugely disappointing and totally wrong," said the team's chief executive, Neil Doncaster. "For Inter Milan to refuse to travel because of the threat of terrorism is simply giving in to the terrorists."
Copyright © 2005, Canoe Inc. All rights reserved
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