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Menezes: Top cop 'misled public'
02/08/2007 14:06 - (SA)
London - A senior British police officer knew within hours that marksmen had wrongly killed a Brazilian electrician they had mistaken for a terrorist, but deliberately withheld the information from superiors and misled the public, an inquiry into the killing reported on Thursday.
Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, was shot seven times in the head in a subway car by counterterrorism police hunting suspects following London's 2005 transport network bombings.
The report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission said that Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman, head of London's police counter-terrorism unit, told reporters on the afternoon of the shooting that de Menezes was not linked to the failed bombings a day earlier.
But he "deliberately withheld the information ... despite being asked for information" by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ian Blair and government officials, it found.
Chaos after terror attacks
The July 22, 2005 shooting occurred 15 days after four suicide bombers killed 52 bus and subway passengers in the capital, and just a day after a failed attempt to detonate bombs on the transport system. Tensions across London were running high.
Officers initially claimed the Brazilian was a suspect linked to the attacks. Police told reporters his bulky clothing and panicked manner had caused commanders to fear he was a suicide bomber.
Investigations later showed de Menezes had not run, worn bulky clothing or resisted arrest.
The report paints a picture of chaos within London's Metropolitan Police force after the July 2005 terrorist attacks and criticises errors made in handling critical information about the hunt for the suspected bombers.
'A massive cock-up'
It said rumours swirled around London police stations following the shooting, with several senior officers told that a Brazilian tourist had been killed. By late afternoon, a senior police officer not involved in the killing was told there had been "a massive cock-up", the report said.
But it was the following afternoon before police publicly acknowledged that de Menezes was innocent and had been shot mistakenly.
Hayman "chose to mislead the public by his actions", the report said. It said his decisions had raised serious concerns and recommended that police authorities take action over his conduct.
His actions "may have prevented further discussion about the status of the deceased, including the possibility that he was innocent" on the evening of the shooting, the report said.
It absolved police chief Blair of blame, saying there was no evidence he had known about the mistakes when he made public statements praising his officers.
- AP
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