Police shot Brazilian eight times | UK news | The Guardian 7 July London attacks Police shot Brazilian eight times In this image reproduced from O Globo television in Brazil, Jean Charles de Menezes is seen with his relatives. Photograph: TV O Globo/AP Staff and agencies Monday 25 July 2005 13.35 EDT First published on Monday 25 July 2005 13.35 EDT Share on Messenger Close Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian electrician mistakenly gunned down by anti-terrorist police at Stockwell tube station, was shot eight times, an inquest was told today. Mr De Menezes, 27, died on Friday, the day after the failed suicide bombings on London's transport network. Details of how he died were confirmed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. An inquest, which was opened into his death earlier today at Southwark coroners court, heard that he was shot seven times in the head and once in the shoulder. Eyewitnesses to the shooting had reported he had been shot five times after failing to stop when challenged by the plain-clothes officers. His family are considering legal action.

Speaking at a press conference in central London, the Independent Police Complaints Commission chairman, Nick Hardwick, confirmed that the commission had begun an investigation into the shooting. "We enter this with open minds, as we search for the truth, and we have accepted the full cooperation of the Metropolitan police service, which they have pledged," he said. Mr Hardwick confirmed that the officers involved in the shooting had already given an account of what happened, but said they could be interviewed by the IPCC team in the future. "We don't start from the assumption that we are investigating a crime here. We are looking for the truth," he said. Arrangements are being made so that the victim's family can be kept up to date with the progress of the investigation. Tony Blair said he was "desperately sorry" about Mr De Menezes'death, but added that police officers, who are hunting for four would-be suicide bombers, were working in "very difficult circumstances". The prime minister spoke about the shooting for the first time today in a Downing Street news conference alongside his French counterpart, Dominique de Villepin. "We are all desperately sorry for the death of an innocent person, and I understand entirely the feelings of the young man's family," Mr Blair said.

"But we also have to understand the police are doing their job in very, very difficult circumstances. "Had the circumstances been different and had this turned out to be a terrorist, and they had failed to take that action, they would have been criticised the other way." Alex Pereira, a cousin of Mr Menezes, said the police "have to pay" for the mistake. When asked whether the family was taking legal action, he told BBC Breakfast: "They have to pay for that in many ways because, if they do not, they are going to kill many people, they are going to kill thousands of people. "They just kill the first person they see, that's what they did ... they killed my cousin, they could kill anyone." Earlier, he said he wanted to show people that police "could have stopped" Mr Menezes before he caught a bus to Stockwell from Tulse Hill, also in south London. "They killed him here because they had to show off," he said.

"Police had plenty of time to stop him - if they were so afraid of a bomb, why did they let him get on the bus?" At Scotland Yard, around 30 protesters, including friends of Mr Menezes, gathered and sang the Brazilian national anthem. The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, expressed "deep regrets" over the killing, and said the force accepted "full responsibility". However, he last night defended the "shoot-to-kill" policy for dealing with suspected suicide bombers, arguing that it was necessary to shoot suspects in the head if it was feared they might set off a bomb on their body. The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, will meet his Brazilian counterpart, Celso Amorim, in London tonight to apologise for the shooting.

Speaking prior to the meeting, Mr Amorim, who was in London on a visit planned before the death of Mr Menezes, who had been living in London for three years, said: "The Brazilian government and the public are shocked and perplexed that a peaceful and innocent person should have been killed." Mr Menezes was followed by police who were part of a surveillance team that had been watching the Tulse Hill flats after the block's address was found in one of four backpacks involved in last week's failed attacks. He was tailed when he boarded a bus, and police decided to intervene when he approached the tube station. Officers said a contributory factor to Mr Menezes being shot was his chunky top, which they said could have concealed a bomb and was out of place on a warm day. But the victim's friend Fausto Soares said: "We come from a hot country and this is a cold country. I wear my jacket 365 days a year. I'm wearing a jacket now, and after what's happened I don't feel safe." He said he did not know why Mr Menezes had apparently tried to flee onto a train when challenged by undercover armed police at the entrance to Stockwell station.

"What we want to know is why they threw him on the floor and shot him in the head five times," he said. The Home Office today refused to comment on reports that Mr Menezes had been in Britain on an out-of-date visa. Unconfirmed reports claimed he had come to the UK on a student visa, which allows people to work for a small number of hours. Meanwhile, the debate over the "shoot-to-kill" policy continued. An opinion poll in the Daily Mirror showed that 71% of Britons supported it. Chris Fox, the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: "Shoot-to-kill is a very good headline, but in fact what we have is a series of tactics which range from disruption to the very, very final moment when you have to shoot and the aim is to prevent the criminal or suspect causing harm to other people." He told BBC Breakfast that the tactics had come in response to the new kind of threat posed by suicide bombers. Shooting at the body would not always incapacitate a bomber enough to stop them from detonating explosives and could even set off a device, he said. However, he added that there would always be a warning when possible, saying: "I have been at incidents.

They challenge repeatedly because they do not want to shoot." The officer who fired the fatal shots has not been suspended, but has been taken off firearms duty as a matter of routine while an investigation is carried out. Q&A: The day Jean Charles de Menezes died | UK news | The Guardian This article is 8 years old Why was Jean Charles de Menezes suspected of being a terrorist? De Menezes was killed on July 22 2005 as police hunted terrorists who had tried to bomb London the previous day. In the early hours of that day, police traced a gym card found in one of the bags containing the failed bombs to an address at Scotia Road, south London . They believed it was being used by a suspected terrorist called Hussain Osman. A senior officer drew up a plan that anyone coming out of the address should be allowed to walk a short distance away so they were out of sight of anyone else in the flats, then stopped by armed police and their identity checked. But it took police hours to realise the address was a communal block of flats, let alone that Osman had not returned there. Did De Menezes jump over the tube station barrier or do anything to arouse suspicion?

He walked out of the flat and took a bus to an underground station, which he found was closed. He got back on the bus and went to Stockwell station. Some police took this detouring to be a counter-surveillance technique that might be used by a trained terrorist. Their suspicions increased because they saw De Menezes texting and talking on his mobile phone. In fact, the 27-year-old electrician had overslept and was late for work on the other side of London. Once he reached Stockwell station, he picked up a free newspaper, walked through the barrier and went calmly down the escalator. Initial reports to the contrary are now accepted as wrong. Was he ever positively identified as the terrorist suspect Osman by police? No. No one in the surveillance team following De Menezes said he was definitely the suspect. Some said he was a good likeness, others said they did not think it was their man. Somehow, according to their evidence at the inquest, the firearms team became convinced the man being followed had been positively identified as Osman. Did police shout a warning when confronting De Menezes on the tube carriage?

The officers who shot De Menezes told the inquest a warning of "armed police" was shouted but he ignored it and continued walking towards them with his arms and hands in a position "consistent with someone who may be about to detonate a bomb hidden on their person or in a belt". Seventeen civilian witnesses on the tube carriage said they heard no warning. Some police said the same. Could police have stopped him earlier? Yes. The officer in charge of the operation, Cressida Dick, ordered the surveillance officers to detain De Menezes seconds before he entered Stockwell station. They were armed but not trained to detain a potential suicide bomber. A few seconds later she countermanded her order, having been told that specialist firearms officers were in a position to make the arrest – but in fact they were more than a minute behind De Menezes. Is it against the law for the police to shoot dead an innocent man? Police have no special protection under the law.

The relevant law is section three of the 1967 Criminal Law Act, which reads: "A person may use such force as is reasonable in the prevention of crime." If an officer honestly believes someone poses a threat to his or her life, or to the life of others, reasonable force may be used. This is what the officers who shot De Menezes have claimed. The Metropolitan police were found guilty in 2007 of "catastrophic" health and safety failings leading up to the shooting. Inquest heard from 100 witnesses including officers who shot Brazilian electrician on tube carriage at Stockwell on July 22 2005 Published: 12 Dec 2008 BBC NEWS | UK | Police shot Brazilian eight times Police shot Brazilian eight times Mr Menezes had been in London for more than three years The man mistaken for a suicide bomber by police was shot eight times, an inquest into his death has heard. Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, was shot seven times in the head and once in the shoulder, at Stockwell Tube station, south London, on Friday. Det Insp Elizabeth Baker revealed the details at a hearing in London.

Security sources said Mr Menezes had an out-of-date visa, but his family denied this. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said he believed he was legally in the UK. Mr Menezes' cousin, Alex Pereira, who is based in London, said the police would "kill thousands of people" if they were not held accountable for what had happened at Stockwell. Victim's final journey He said: "They just kill the first person they see, that's what they did. They killed my cousin, they could kill anyone." Brazilian media reports say British human rights lawyer Gareth Peirce is acting as the family's legal adviser, amid reports that they are considering suing Scotland Yard. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) will investigate the shooting. Nick Hardwick, head of the IPCC, said the commission needs to find out the truth of what happened "to ensure it can never happen again". He said that "if people haven't acted in accordance with the law and their training" they would be held accountable. Mr Straw met Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim in London, where they discussed the return of Mr Menezes' body to Brazil.

Both Mr Straw and Mr Amorim said they believed he was living in the UK legally - though there are reports that his precise immigration status is still being checked. "I haven't got any precise information on his immigration status, my understanding is he was here lawfully," Mr Straw said. The Home Office could not confirm his immigration status but said they were looking into it "as a matter of urgency". Suspects named Meanwhile, detectives are still hunting for the men who attempted to blow up three London Tube trains and a bus last Thursday. Consider the choice that faced police officers at Stockwell last Friday - and be glad you did not have to take it Ken Livingstone London mayor A total of five people have been arrested in connection with the attempted bombings and the police have named two suspects: Muktar Said-Ibrahim, 27, also known as Muktar Mohammed-Said, and Yasin Hassan Omar, 24. 'Support police' Tony Blair said he was "desperately sorry" an innocent man had lost his life. The prime minister said it was right for Britain to express its "sorrow and deep sympathy" to Mr Menezes' family. But he said the police must be supported in doing their job.

He added that they would have been criticised had the suspect turned out to be a terrorist and they had failed to take action. Mr Menezes' cousin says the police "must pay" London Mayor Ken Livingstone described Mr Menezes as a "victim of the terrorist attacks". He said: "Consider the choice that faced police officers at Stockwell last Friday - and be glad you did not have to take it." On Friday morning, Mr Menezes had left his flat in Tulse Hill and boarded a bus towards Stockwell Tube station. He had been followed by police, who had his block of flats under surveillance. When he was challenged by police in the Tube station, he fled, reportedly leaping the ticket barrier. If you are going to have a war on terror, you have got to use brains to fight it not just brute force Maria do Socorro Over the past year there have been an increased number of immigration checks at Tube stations - a policy widely reported in Brazilian papers in London. Police chased him on to a Tube train where he was shot dead. Cancer treatment In Brazil, relatives are demanding answers as to why Mr Menezes ran and why he was shot by police.

Cousin Maria do Socorro, speaking before his immigration status had been questioned, said she thought the police had acted "like amateurs". She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "If you are going to have a war on terror, you have got to use brains to fight it not just brute force." Ms Socorro said the family were considering suing over the shooting. Friends of Mr Menezes in London said he had recently returned to Brazil for eight months to be with his father, who was being treated for cancer. Fausto Soares, 26, said Mr Menezes had been sending money to pay for the treatment and was concerned how the family would now cope financially. BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said the type of visa Mr Menezes had been given would normally be valid for one-and-a-half to two years.

He said Mr Menezes had not renewed the visa, adding: "That wouldn't explain why he was shot, but it might provide an explanation as to why he ran away - if that is indeed what he did do." London police on trial for Brazilian's subway shooting death - World - CBC News London police on trial for Brazilian's subway shooting death Posted: Oct 01, 2007 10:29 AM ET Last Updated: Oct 01, 2007 10:27 AM ET Related Stories IN DEPTH: London bombings A Brazilian electrician who was mistaken for a suicide bomber and shot to death by police on a subway car weeks after the 2005 transit bombings in London, England, was killed because of "fundamental failures" by a police surveillance team, a prosecutor said Monday. Jean-Charles de Menezes was shot seven times in the head and once in the shoulder. It occurred two weeks after suicide bombers killed 52 people on London's transit system and a day after a failed suicide bombing attempt. The comments came at the beginning of the trial against the London Metropolitan Police for health and safety violations in the death of Jean-Charles de Menezes.

De Menezes, 27, was shot in the head seven times at Stockwell station on July 22, two weeks after near-simultaneous explosions during the morning rush hour killed 52 people and four suicide bombers in London, and just a day after a second suicide bombing attempt on the city's subway system. Prosecutor Clare Montgomery said de Menezes' killing was "not the result of a fast-moving operation going suddenly and unpredictably awry." "It was the result of fundamental failures to carry out a planned operation in a safe and reasonable way," she said. De Menezes, an electrician who had been in the country for three years, lived in a building that was under surveillance because it was believed to house a suspect wanted in connection with the unsuccessful bombings of July 21. When de Menezes left his apartment, he was believed to be that man and subsequently tracked to the station. He rushed to board a waiting train car, where two officers pinned him to the floor and shot him seven times in the head and once in the shoulder.

In July, prosecutors made the rare move of charging the office of Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ian Blair under existing health and safety legislation provisions for "failing to provide for the health, safety and welfare" of de Menezes after concluding there was insufficient evidence to charge the individual police officers who shot him. Blair told the public on the day of the shooting that it was directly linked to an anti-terrorism operation and de Menezes refused to respond to police instructions when challenged. A report in 2006 by the Independent Police Complaints Commission found de Menezes was not given a chance to protest his innocence. It also revealed delays and problems with radio communication and confusion over whether de Menezes had been identified as the suspect and whether the command was given to shoot to kill. The authority severely criticized Blair over his handling of the incident at a hearing earlier in September. Police later apologized to de Menezes' family for the killing and acknowledged their officers made mistakes under considerable pressure to thwart more attacks, but deny the current charge. The force faces an unlimited fine if convicted. A coroner's inquest into the death will also be held once the trial is over.

With files from the Associated Press BBC NEWS | UK | Police changed minds over Menezes Police changed minds over Menezes Mr de Menezes was killed the day after the 21 July 2005 failed bombings Undercover police following Jean Charles de Menezes decided he was their suspect only minutes before he entered a Tube station, his inquest has heard. Det Ch Insp Angela Scott said officers changed their minds twice about whether he was the man they were hunting after following him across south London. But Mr de Menezes, 27, was shot dead by police who mistook him for failed suicide bomber Hussain Osman. Osman and three others tried to attack transport in London on 21 July 2005. Police initially believed the Brazilian electrician was Osman after he left the block of flats linked to the failed suicide bomber. Quiz plans But Det Ch Insp Scott, who was based in the operations room at Scotland Yard that day, told the inquest that the undercover officers then ruled he was not the suspect. Instead, a decision was made to stop and quiz him for information.

But just before Mr de Menezes arrived at Stockwell Tube Station, the surveillance team sent a message to their commanders that they believed he was Osman. Mr de Menezes, 27, was allowed to board a train before two specialist firearms officers shot him in the head at point blank range. 'Energetic atmosphere' The inquest learned that Det Ch Insp Scott was appointed deputy to Det Supt Jon Boutcher, the senior investigating officer in the manhunt for those behind the July 21 2005 failed attacks on London. She was in the operations room the next day as the events that led to Mr de Menezes's death unfolded. Det Ch Insp Scott said the atmosphere in the room was "energetic" as the Brazilian emerged from the flats in Scotia Road in Tulse Hill, south London, at 9.34am. She said: "Initially the information from the surveillance officers was that it was a possible - possibly identical to one of the bombers. "However, as the person continued, information came through that they did not believe it was one of the suspects.

"So it was at this point the decision was made, as we had had the individual under control, that there was an opportunity to intelligence gather." Mr de Menezes was followed after getting on a Number 2 bus heading for Brixton and Stockwell. Sure about suspect Anti-terror intelligence officer Det Sgt Piers Dingemans was tasked with stopping Mr de Menezes and questioning him. Surveillance officers followed Mr de Menezes after he left his home The inquest was told that his unmarked car was right behind the bus as it passed up Stockwell Road when he was called off just before 10am. DCI Scott said: "That counter-order was given because a surveillance officer conducting the monitoring - Pat - then stated a surveillance team officer had said that in fact they did believe that it was one of the suspects." She continued: "I recall that Pat said something like, 'They're saying that it's him'. She said Det Supt Boutcher, who had spoken earlier to the inquest, asked Pat for the surveillance team to provide a percentage figure of how sure they were.

She said: "The response to that was, 'They're saying that it's him'." Mr de Menezes got off the bus at Stockwell Underground station at about 10.03am. Det Ch Insp Scott recalled that Commander Cressida Dick gave firearms officers orders to "detain the subject prior to him entering the Tube". She told the inquest earlier: "My understanding was that Commander Dick was in control of the operation within the operations room and was in fact the decision-maker in the room." Three-pronged strategy She said she then learnt that Mr de Menezes was already in the station and on the escalators. The officers followed him underground and communication with them was lost. The seventh day of the 12-week inquest also heard that the police were aware before the shooting that the block of flats under surveillance had a communal door which could be used by other residents. A three-pronged plan was in place for whoever walked out. Surveillance officers would watch them; firearms officers would stop any identified suspects, and intelligence officers would discreetly stop and quiz people who had not been positively identified as suspects.

Six people, including three women, left the building before Mr de Menezes but none of them were stopped and quizzed as had been outlined in the original plan. The inquest is being held at London's Oval cricket ground and the jury will consider whether or not the Brazilian electrician was unlawfully killed. There have been five inquiries relating to the death and its aftermath, including a criminal trial. In 2007, an Old Bailey jury found the Metropolitan Police guilty of breaching health and safety laws, after hearing about the events leading up to Mr de Menezes being shot. The inquest continues. London: Last Police Lie Blown Off - by Sanjay Suri London: Last Police Lie Blown Off by Sanjay Suri LONDON - Just about the last defense of the police who killed Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes in London July 21 was that they had seen him running. New evidence suggests he was not running, but sitting on the train when he was grabbed and shot. The new evidence blows the last lie produced by the police to cover the killing. So far, the excuse for the police had been that a man who could have been mistaken for an Asian had jumped the ticket barrier and run.

On a tense day when attempts were reported of new bombings in London, the police action was passed off as excusable. New video evidence gathered by the ITV news program shows that Charles did not jump the barrier; he passed normally through them with his ticket, and had sat down in the train when the police pounced on him. He was shot eight times, seven shots going into his head and one into his shoulder. The new evidence shows also that he was wearing a light denim jacket, and not a padded jacket as the police had claimed earlier. The police had said earlier that a heavy padded jacket on a hot summer day was suspicious because it might have suggested he was carrying explosives as he ran. That statement, now shown to be false, followed a string of other police falsehoods to cover up the killing. First, the police said he was being shadowed as he left his block of flats to take a bus to the station. They said he was then followed to the train and shot when he ran. The police did not explain why they did not intercept him earlier. The police then claimed that he had been "directly connected" to inquiries over the attempts to plant bombs on trains a day earlier. The police later admitted that this was not correct.

Then came the allegation that he was an illegal immigrant and that he therefore ran when he saw the police. It was quickly established that Charles was not an illegal immigrant. The police significantly offered no explanation why he ran, or even whether it was the case that he was challenged by the police and was running from the police. Metropolitan police commissioner Sir Ian Blair had said after the killing: "Whatever else they were doing, they clearly thought they were faced with a suicide bomber and they were running toward him. Had that person been a suicide bomber and had the officers not fired and 25 yards up the track the bomb had exploded, the officers would be in a worse situation than they are now." He announced and later defended a "shoot to kill" policy, and said that more people could be killed. He expressed "regret" over the death. But his predecessor expressed sympathy for the officer who killed Charles, not for Charles or his family . "My heart goes out to the officer who killed the man in Stockwell Tube Station," Lord John Stevens wrote in a newspaper. Ian Blair said lethal force was the only option available to his officers.

But the police themselves compromised that defense when they used no more than a stun gun to arrest Yasin Hassan Omar, one of the July 21 suspects. The killing is being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. But it is not certain whether the inquiry will rope in Ian Blair as well. The police complaints commission is investigating evidence offered by some witnesses that the police mistakenly pursued Charles after a lapse in surveillance because the officer concerned was "relieving himself." The commission is looking into the question why the intelligence on the occupants of the flats where Charles lived failed to identify him as innocent. It will also seek to establish why he was allowed to board a bus if he was suspected, even if wrongly so. The police declined to comment on the new evidence. "The police complaints commission is investigating, so it is inappropriate for us to speak," a spokeswoman told IPS. (Inter Press Service) Phone hacking: Family of Jean Charles de Menezes targeted - Telegraph Phone Hacking Phone hacking: Family of Jean Charles de Menezes targeted The cousin of Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian man shot dead by police in 2005, has been told that his phone may have been hacked by the News of the World.

Glenn Mulcaire (left) and Jean Charles De Menezes Image 1 of 2 Jean Charles De Menezes who was shot dead by police after failing to stop when challenged at Stockwell tube station Photo: REX FEATURES Follow Mr de Menezes was killed by police marksmen on a tube carriage at Stockwell underground station on July 22 2005, in the wake of attempted terror attacks on London. The 27-year-old Brazilian electrician was mistaken for failed suicide bomber Hussain Osman. Detectives from Operation Weeting have told Mr de Menezes' cousin, Alex Pereira, that his mobile phone number was found among the documents of Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator used by the News of the World. The family of Mr de Menezes today accused the police of leaking misinformation about the circumstances of Mr de Menezes' death to News International newspapers. They wrote to David Cameron asking him to extend the remit of the phone hacking inquiry to investigate whether officers had done so, either for financial benefit or to "besmirch Jean's character" in an attempt to deflect attention from the actions of the Metropolitan Police.

Those connected to Mr de Menezes say their fear they too may have been targeted by the News of the World and have asked detectives from Operation Weeting to check for their phone numbers in Mulcaire's notes. Related Articles Neil Wallis arrested as part of ongoing hacking investigation 14 Jul 2011 A spokesman for the Justice4Jean campaign said: "The Menezes family are deeply pained to find their phones may have been hacked at a time at which they were at their most vulnerable and bereaved. "They are bewildered as to why the police did not approach them with this information earlier, and fear the police may be attempting to cover up their own wrongdoing once more relating to this case." In Mr de Menezes's family's letter to David Cameron, they highlighted in particular the role of former Scotland Yard assistant commissioner Andy Hayman, who is now a columnist for The Times, a sister paper of the News of the World in Rupert Murdoch's News International group. Relatives of Mr de Menezes wrote to the Prime Minister: "We are conscious that the newspapers owned by News International provided some of the most virulent and often misleading coverage around Jean's death and its aftermath.

"Throughout the investigation, misinformation continued to be leaked to the press that attempted to besmirch Jean's character. "The publication of these lies about his actions on the day of the shooting included false allegations that Jean Charles was wearing a bulky jacket, had failed to stop after a police warning, had jumped the ticket barriers or had acted suspiciously in the moments leading up to his shooting. "They also related to untrue allegations about his immigration status and even attempts to link him to a rape allegation that could only have emanated from police sources." The family went on: "Considering what is now known about Andy Hayman's relationship with News International, we would like the inquiry into this scandal to extend its remit to scrutinise whether police officers involved in the Menezes investigation were leaking information to the press, either for financial benefit or in a vain effort to deflect criticism from the actions of the Metropolitan Police which had led to Jean's death." Mr Hayman strongly rejected suggestions that he was in News International's "back pocket" when he gave evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee this week.

Jean Charles de Menezes family loses European court fight - BBC News BBC News Jean Charles de Menezes family loses European court fight 30 March 2016 Close share panel Image copyright Other The family of Jean Charles de Menezes has lost a human rights challenge over the decision not to charge any UK police officer for his fatal shooting. The Brazilian was killed at London's Stockwell Tube in 2005 by police who mistook him for a terror suspect. The decision that there was not enough evidence to prosecute anyone did not breach human rights laws, judges said . His family, who had argued that the bar for prosecution should be lower, said they were "deeply disappointed". Mr de Menezes, an electrician who was 27, was followed and shot in the head by police marksmen who mistook him for a suicide bomber. The incident came amid heightened tensions two weeks after the 7 July London bombings - in which four suicide bombers killed 52 people - and one day after attempted bombings on the London public transport network. Profile: Jean Charles de Menezes BBC legal correspondent Clive Coleman said the ruling was "the last opportunity for the family to hold the state accountable".

"The government and the Met were both very quick to acknowledge that what happened was a catastrophic mistake, but this ruling means the end of the road for the family in terms of changing the law," he said. Image copyright Police handout Image caption CCTV footage showed Jean Charles de Menezes being pursued by armed officers at Stockwell tube station Mr de Menezes' family had challenged the test used by British prosecutors to decide whether there is sufficient evidence to charge someone with a crime. Known as the 51% test, it says that authorities should only prosecute if a conviction is more likely than not. 'Denied justice' Lawyers for Mr de Menezes' family claimed the threshold for evidence was too high, and was therefore incompatible with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights - which covers the right to life. However, judges ruled against them by 13 votes to four.

We find it unbelievable that our innocent cousin could be shot seven times in the head by the Metropolitan Police when he had done nothing wrong, and yet the police have not had to account for their actions Patricia da Silva Armani, Jean Charles de Menezes's cousin British authorities had thoroughly investigated and concluded there was not sufficient evidence for a realistic chance of conviction of any one officer over the shooting, the court added. The family had also argued the officers should not have been allowed to say they had acted in self-defence. However the court in Strasburg backed the legal definition of self-defence in England and Wales - which says there must be an honest belief that the use of force was absolutely necessary.

Image copyright PA Image caption Jean Charles de Menezes' parents, Matozinhos Otone Da Silva and Maria Otone de Menezes, visited the scene of his death at Stockwell Tube station in 2005 Image copyright PA Image caption Jean Charles de Menezes' cousin Patricia da Silva Armani, seen here at a protest in 2007, said the family were "deeply disappointed" by the ruling Mr de Menezes' cousin Patricia da Silva Armani, who was living with him at the time of his death, said the family would not give up the fight for justice. "We had hoped that the ruling would give a glimmer of hope, not only to us, but to all other families who have been denied the right to justice after deaths at the hands of the police," she said. "We find it unbelievable that our innocent cousin could be shot seven times in the head by the Metropolitan Police when he had done nothing wrong, and yet the police have not had to account for their actions.

"As we have always maintained, we feel that decisions about guilt and innocence should be made by juries, not by faceless bureaucrats and we are deeply saddened that we have been denied that opportunity yet again." What is Article 2? Image copyright AP In short, the article says the state must never arbitrarily take someone's life, and must also safeguard the lives of those in its care. It lists three scenarios where force at the hands of the state could be justified: In defence of any person from unlawful violence In order to effect a lawful arrest or to prevent the escape of a person lawfully detained In action lawfully taken for the purpose of quelling a riot or insurrection. It also requires the government to carry out a independent investigation into all deaths caused by the state. This investigation must be brought about by the state of its own accord, and include an element of public scrutiny. The European court judgment said the case was "undoubtedly tragic" and the frustration of Mr de Menezes' family at the absence of any individual prosecutions was understandable. However, the decision not to prosecute any individual officer was not due to any failings in the investigation "or the state's tolerance of or collusion in unlawful acts", the judgment said.

It added: "Rather, it was due to the fact that, following a thorough investigation, a prosecutor considered all the facts of the case and concluded that there was insufficient evidence against any individual officer to meet the threshold evidential test in respect of any criminal offence." 'Tragic case' The UK government said the Strasbourg court had handed down "the right judgment". "The facts of this case are tragic, but the government considers that the court has upheld the important principle that individuals are only prosecuted where there is a realistic prospect of conviction," a spokesperson said. In a tragic case of mistaken identity, undercover police officers began following Mr de Menezes on 22 July 2005 because they thought he looked like Hussain Osman , a failed suicide bomber who was on the run. Mr de Menezes' flat shared a communal entrance with a property linked to Osman. The undercover police followed him into the station where he was pinned down and shot seven times in the head and once in the shoulder by two officers trained in stopping suicide bombers. The CPS ruled out prosecuting officers in 2006, but they did charge the Met Police with breaching health and safety laws, leading to a £175,000 fine.

Legal timeline Image caption A memorial to Mr Menezes was unveiled outside Stockwell station in 2010 22 July 2005: Shot dead by police at Stockwell Tube station 17 July 2006: CPS says no officers will be prosecuted, but Met Police will be tried for breaching health and safety laws 1 November 2007: Met Police found guilty of breaching health and safety laws and fined 22 October 2008: Inquest under way - coroner rules out unlawful killing verdict a month later 12 December 2008: Inquest jury returns open verdict 16 November 2009: Met Police settles damages claim with family 10 June 2015: De Menezes family take legal challenge to European Court of Human Rights 30 March 2016: Family lose challenge over decision not to charge any police officer over the shooting Shot Brazilian 'did not jump barrier and run' - Telegraph Shot Brazilian 'did not jump barrier and run' Jean Charles de Menezes lies dead in the Tube train By Philip Johnston 12:05AM BST 17 Aug 2005 The

 Brazilian electrician shot dead by police on the London Underground last month was being restrained when he was killed by officers from Scotland Yard's firearms unit, according to documents leaked last night.

Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, was shot seven times in the head by two plainclothes policemen who had followed him on to the train at Stockwell station in the mistaken belief that he was a potential suicide bomber. Documents and photographs leaked to ITV News also confirmed that Mr de Menezes did not run from the police, as had been reported, had used his Tube pass to enter the station, rather than vault the barrier, and had taken a seat on the train before being grabbed by an officer. He was wearing a light denim jacket and not as previously reported a padded coat which could have concealed explosives. Related Articles Fatal mistakes that led to innocent man being killed in Stockwell Tube 17 Aug 2005 The documents, which contain witness statements made to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, also suggest that the intelligence operation may have been botched because an officer watching a flat believed to be the hideout of one of the suspects in the abortive July 21 attack was "relieving himself". Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, has apologised for the death of Mr de Menezes and a senior officer has visited Brazil to talk to his family.

However, the latest disclosures will cast fresh light on Sir Ian's insistence that the death was the tragic consequence of a legitimate operation. Shortly after the shooting, Sir Ian said: "Whatever else they were doing, they clearly thought they were faced with a suicide bomber and they were running towards him. Had that person been a suicide bomber and had the officers not fired and 25 yards up the track the bomb had exploded, the officers would be in a worse situation than they are now." He insisted that lethal force was the only option available to his officers once they had satisfied themselves Mr de Menezes was a suicide bomber. Yet a few days later, West Midlands police used a Taser stun weapon to arrest Yasin Hassan Omar, one of the July 21 suspects. Mr de Menezes was killed the day after the failed attacks on Tube trains and a bus. Guidelines issued since the September 11 attacks emphasise that police must not challenge suicide bombers or identify themselves for fear of prompting the bomber to detonate his device. Instead, they may fire a "critical head shot … prior to challenge". The complaints commission has taken statements from officers in the operation.

Among the questions being asked is why the intelligence on the occupants of the flats suspected of harbouring the terror suspects failed to identify Mr de Menezes as an innocent party. It will also seek to establish why he was allowed to board a bus when buses had been targets in the two previous attacks. His family cannot reconcile the police assertion that he had to be stopped once he had boarded a Tube train with the fact that he got on to a bus. Questions will also be asked over why the impression that he was wearing a padded fleece was given continued credence when the photographs broadcast last night show him dressed differently. Wearing bulky clothing not in keeping with the weather is considered a sign of a potential suicide bomber. Scotland Yard said last night that it was unable to comment on any reports about the incident while it was being investigated. Jean Charles de Menezes Jean Charles de Menezes 22 July 2005 Stockwell Tube station, London Jean Charles de Menezes ( 7 January 1978– 22 July 2005) was a Brazilian electrician living in the Tulse Hill area of south London .

Menezes was shot and killed at Stockwell tube station on the London Underground by unnamed Metropolitan Police officers. Police later issued an apology, saying that they had mistaken him for a suspect in the previous day's failed bombings and acknowledging that Menezes in fact had no explosives and was unconnected with the attempted bombings. Biography The son of a bricklayer, Menezes grew up on a farm in Gonzaga, Minas Gerais, Brazil . After discovering an early aptitude for electronics, he left the farm at age 14 to live with his uncle in São Paulo and further his education. At 19 he received a professional diploma from Escola Estadual (State School) São Sebastião. He had originally wanted to go to the United States of America but was refused a work visa. He entered the UK on a tourist visa in 2002, and later obtained a student visa valid until June 2003. According to a statement by the British Home Office, he did not apply for any extension, and, thus, was living illegally in the UK after that time. Within four months of his arrival he had a good grasp of the English language , and sent money he earned back to his family in Brazil .

On 22 July 2005 Menezes was shot and killed by Metropolitan Police armed officers. On 27 July 2005, Menezes' body was flown to Brazil for burial. His funeral took place in Gonzaga, Brazil, on 29 July 2005. A public memorial service for Menezes was presided over by Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor at Westminster Cathedral around the same time. Background to the shooting Almost all of the facts regarding the Menezes shooting were initially disputed by various parties. Contradictory witness accounts, " off the record" statements from police, and media speculation added to the confusion. An ITV report on 16 August 2005 claimed to contain leaked documents from an IPCC investigation which provided additional information. For a summary of the facts and events initially disputed, see Disputed facts and events. On 22 July 2005, London police were searching for four suspects in four attempted bombings carried out the previous day; three at Underground stations and one on a bus in Hackney. As the perpetrators had not died in the failed suicide bombing, a large police investigation began immediately, with the aim of tracking them down.

A written address reportedly had been identified from materials found inside the unexploded bags used by the bombers, located within a three-storey block of nine flats in Scotia Road, Tulse Hill. At around 9:30 a.m., surveillance officers observing the address saw Menezes emerge from the communal entrance of the block. The officers were watching three men who they claimed were Somali or Ethiopian in appearance. Menezes, an electrician, lived in one of the flats with two of his cousins, and had just received a call to fix a broken fire alarm in Kilburn. An officer on duty at Scotia Road compared Menezes to the CCTV photographs of the bombing suspects from the previous day, and felt "it would be worth someone else having a look", but "was in the process of relieving [him]self", and was thus unable to immediately turn on a video camera to transmit images to Gold Command, the Metropolitan Police ("Met") operational headquarters for major incidents. Police thought they had positively identified a suicide bomber. On the basis of this officer's suspicion, Gold Command authorised officers to continue pursuit and surveillance.

Documents from the independent agency investigation of the shooting later concluded that mistakes in police surveillance procedure led to a failure to properly identify Menezes early on, leading to rushed assumptions and actions later at Stockwell Tube station. Pursuit and shooting Stockwell tube station entrance The officers followed Menezes for 5 minutes as he walked to a bus-stop on Tulse Hill for the Number 2 bus routes. As he boarded a bus, several plainclothes police officers boarded, continuing the pursuit. At Brixton Station Menezes briefly got off the bus, saw the station was closed, and reboarded the bus to continue to Stockwell. The three surveillance officers later stated that they were satisfied that they had the correct man, as he "had mongolian eyes". Finally the bus arrived at Stockwell Tube station, 3.3km (2 miles) away. At some point during this journey, the pursuing officers contacted Gold Command, and reported that Menezes potentially matched the description of two of the previous day's suspects, including Osman Hussain. Based on this information, Gold Command authorized "code red" tactics, and ordered the surveillance officers to prevent Menezes from boarding a train.

According to a "senior police source at Scotland Yard", Police Commander Cressida Dick told the surveillance team that the man was to be "detained as soon as possible", before entering the station. Gold Command then transferred control of the operation to SO19, which dispatched firearms officers to Stockwell Tube Station. At some point Menezes phoned a colleague, Gesio de Avila, saying he would be late due to the disruption of public transport caused by the previous day's attempted bombings. Menezes entered the Tube station at about 10:00 a.m., stopping to pick up a free Metro newspaper. He used his Oyster card to pay the fare, walked through the barriers, and descended the escalator slowly. He then ran across the platform to board the newly-arrived train. Menezes boarded the train and found one of the first available seats. Three surveillance officers, codenamed Hotel 1, Hotel 3 and Hotel 9, followed Menezes onto the train. According to Hotel 3, Menezes sat down with a glass panel to his right about two seats in.

Hotel 3 then took a seat on the left with about two or three people between the surveillance officer and Menezes. When the firearms officers arrived on the platform, Hotel 3 moved to the door, blocked it from closing with their left foot, and shouted 'He's here!' to identify the suspect's location. The firearms officers boarded the train and challenged the suspect. According to Hotel 3, Menezes then stood up and advanced towards the officers and Hotel 3, at which point Hotel 3 grabbed him, pinned his arms against his torso, and pushed him back into the seat. Although Menezes was being restrained, his body was straight and not in a natural sitting position. After hearing a shot close to their ear, the surveillance officer was dragged away onto the floor of the carriage. Hotel 3 then shouted 'Police!' and with hands raised was dragged out of the carriage by one of the armed officers who had boarded the train. Hotel 3 then heard several gunshots while being dragged out. Two officers fired a total of eleven shots according to the number of empty shell casings found on the floor of the train afterwards. At close range, Menezes was shot seven times in the head and once in the shoulder.

He died at the scene. An eyewitness later said that the eleven shots were fired over a thirty second period, at three second intervals. A separate witness reported hearing five shots, followed at an interval by several more shots. It later emerged that dum-dum bullets had been employed and a senior police source said that de Menezes had been "unrecognisable." Although the bullets are illegal in warfare, a Home Office spokesman said "Chief officers can use whatever ammunition they consider appropriate for the operational circumstances." Immediately after the shooting, the Metropolitan Police stated that the shooting was "directly linked" to the investigation of the attempted bombings the previous day. It was revealed that police policy toward suspected suicide bombers had been revised, instructing officers to fire directly toward the head, as British authorities state that shooting at the chest could detonate a concealed bomb. The SO19 firearms officers involved in the shooting were debriefed and drugs and alcohol tests were taken as a standard procedure. The officers were taken off duty pending an investigation into the shooting. Later, a security agency source said: “This take-out is the signature of a special forces operation. It is not the way the police usually do things.

We know members of SO19 have been receiving training from the SAS, but even so, this has special forces written all over it.” Aftermath of the shooting The day after the shooting, the Metropolitan Police identified the victim as Jean Charles de Menezes, and said that he had not been carrying explosives, nor was he connected in any way to the attempted bombings. They issued an apology describing the incident as "a tragedy, and one that the Metropolitan Police Service regrets." Menezes's family condemned the shooting and rejected the apology. His grandmother said there was "no reason to think he was a terrorist." It was reported that the dead man's family were offered almost £585,000 compensation. His cousin, Alex Alves Pereira, said, "I believe my cousin's death was result of police incompetence." Pereira said that police claims regarding the incident had been conflicting, and took issue with their pursuit of Menezes for an extended period and their allowing the "suspected suicide bomber" to board a bus. "Why did they let him get on a bus if they are afraid of suicide bombers?… He could have been running, but not from the police… When the Underground stops, everybody runs to get on the train.

That he jumped over the barriers is a lie." The Brazilian government released a statement expressing its shock at the killing, saying that it looked forward "to receiving the necessary explanation from the British authorities on the circumstances which led to this tragedy." Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, who had already arranged to visit London, said he would seek a meeting with the UK's Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw. He later met ministers and had a telephone conversation with Straw. The Muslim Council of Britain expressed immediate concern about the apparent existence of a " shoot-to-kill" policy and called on police to make clear their reasons for shooting the man dead. Public reaction The reaction of the British public to the shooting was mixed. While some sympathised with the need for the police officer in question to make a split-second decision, and saw it as a case of collateral damage, others condemned the killings as an example of police brutality. The reaction of the Brazilian public was overwhelmingly negative. Protests and demonstrations were held in Brazil, and some Brazilian commentators noted that incidents such as Menezes' killing are more typical of a developing country such as Brazil than a developed nation like the UK..

The level of Brazilian protestation raised criticism with some British commentators who noted that extra-judicial executions by the police in Brazil are far from rare. An Amnesty International report published in 2004 pointed out that official figures show that in 2003 police shot dead 915 people in São Paulo alone, while 1,195 were killed by police in Rio de Janeiro. Amnesty also reported that such deaths were rarely investigated. Others questioned whether the United Kingdom should use this standard to justify its own failing in this instance. A vigil at Stockwell Station was held with some of the relatives on the Sunday immediately following the shooting and police apology. Another, called by the Stop the War Coalition, was held on the 25 July. They state that a thousand people attended and then several hundred people, led by a group of Brazilians (some of whom had been friends with Jean Charles), began an impromptu demonstration. When they approached Westminster they were stopped and turned back by police at Vauxhall Bridge, the location of the MI6 building.

On 23 August 2005 Dania Gorodi, whose sister Michelle Otto was killed in the 7 July 2005 London bombings, asked for an end to the criticism of Sir Ian Blair over the Menezes shooting, which she felt had moved the media focus away from the bombings. "People have lost sight of the bigger picture," she said. "We need to support the police right now, not crucify one man. This is unprecedented in British history. He [Sir Ian] is doing the best he can." When on 12 September 2006 the Metropolitan Police Authority promoted Commander Cressida Dick to the role of Deputy Assistant Commissioner, the family said they were "absolutely disgusted". Independent Police Complaints Commission inquiry Several days after the discovery of the mistaken shooting, it was announced that the incident would be subject to an internal investigation by officers from Scotland Yard's Directorate of Professional Standards and would be referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), as is the case with all fatal police shootings.

In the hours immediately after the shooting, Commissioner Sir Ian Blair telephoned the Chairman of the IPCC and wrote a letter to the Home Office stating that "the shooting that has just occurred at Stockwell is not to be referred to the IPCC and that they will be given no access to the scene at the present time." The Commissioner's intent, according to the letter later released by the Met under the Freedom of Information Act, was to protect the tactics and sources of information used in a counter-terrorism operation from public disclosure. Controversy between the Met and IPCC On 18 August, lawyers representing the Menezes family met with the IPCC and urged them to conduct a "fast" investigation. After the meeting the lawyers, Harriet Wistrich and Gareth Peirce, held a press conference where Ms. Peirce stated: "This has been a chaotic mess. What we have asked the IPCC to find out is how much is incompetence, negligence or gross negligence and how much of it is something sinister." On 18 August, the IPCC issued a statement in which they alleged that the "Metropolitan Police Service initially resisted us taking on the investigation". They also announced that the inquiry was expected to last between three and six months.

Initial press reports indicated that the inquiry was not handed over until 27 July, though the IPCC itself announced it took over the inquiry on 25 July. In May 2006, the Metropolitan Police Federation released a 12-page statement which was highly critical of the IPCC in general, and specifically criticized the handling of the "Stockwell inquiry". Leak of inquiry On 16 August 2005 British broadcast network ITV released a report said to be based on leaked documents from the IPCC investigation. The report conflicted with previous statements by Police Chief Sir Ian Blair. The Metropolitan Police and the IPCC refused comment on the allegations while the IPCC investigation was ongoing, though an anonymous 'senior police source' claimed that the leak was accurate. Lana Vandenberghe, the IPCC secretary thought to be responsible for the leak, was suspended. The IPCC launched an investigation into the leaking of the documents. On 21 September Leicestershire Constabulary Serious Crime Unit initiated dawn raids on behalf of the IPCC on one Scottish and two London residential premises, at which time Vandenberghe was arrested. On 5 October two more dawn raids took place, during which ITN journalist Neil Garrett and his girlfriend were arrested.

On 4 May 2006 the Leicestershire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service announced that no charges would be filed against Vandenberghe, Garrett or his partner. Completion of Stockwell 1 According to a press release made on 9 December by the IPCC's chairman Nick Hardwick and John Tate, its Director of Legal Services, the inquiry's report will list some of the criminal offences that the commission thought may have been committed by police. Though without having reached any conclusions, they also admitted the commission's judgement would be a "lower threshold" than the standard prosecutors would apply in making any final decision to prosecute. On March 14, 2006, the IPCC announced that the first part of the inquiry, known as "Stockwell 1" had been completed and recommendations were passed on to the Metropolitan Police Authority and Crown Prosecution Service, but the report "[could not] be made public until all legal processes have concluded." Stockwell 2 "Stockwell 2", the second part of the inquiry, is said to focus on the conduct of Sir Ian Blair following the discovery of Menezes' identity, and is still continuing.

Brian Paddick On 17 March 2006, the Met was threatened with legal action by Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Brian Paddick. In evidence to the IPCC, Paddick had stated that a member of Sir Ian's private office team believed the wrong man had been targeted just six hours after the shooting, contrary to the official line taken at the time. When this information became public, Scotland Yard issued a statement that the officer making the claim (Paddick) "has categorically denied this in his interview with, and statement to, the IPCC investigators". The statement continued that they "were satisfied that whatever the reasons for this suggestion being made, it is simply not true." Paddick's interpretation of this statement was that it accused him of lying. After a statement was released on 28 March by the Met that it "did not intend to imply" a senior officer had misled the probe into the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, Mr. Paddick accepted the "clarification" and considered the matter closed. Result of CPS investigation In July 2006, the Crown Prosecution Service announced it would not carry forward any charges against any individual involved in the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.

The Metropolitan Police will, however, face charges under Sections 3 and 33 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 for "failing to provide for the health, safety and welfare of Jean Charles de Menezes". The decision not to prosecute individuals was made on the grounds of insufficient evidence. The Metropolitan Police entered a not guilty plea to the charges, "after the most careful consideration". The trial date has been set for October 2007. Controversy over police procedure Much discussion following the shooting centred around the rules of engagement followed by armed police when dealing with suspected suicide bombers. Roy Ramm, a former commander of specialist operations for the Metropolitan Police, said that the rules had been changed to permit officers to " shoot to kill" potential suicide bombers, because a head shot is the only way to disable the bomber without risking detonating their explosives. The possibility of a police confrontation with a suicide bomber in the United Kingdom had reportedly been discussed following the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 in the United States . Based on this possibility, new guidelines were developed for identifying, confronting, and dealing forcefully with terrorist suspects. These guidelines were given the code name " Operation Kratos".

Based in part on advice from the security forces of Israel and Sri Lanka — two countries with experience of suicide bombings — Operation Kratos guidelines allegedly state that the head or lower limbs should be aimed at when a suspected suicide bomber appears to have no intention of surrendering. This is contrary to the usual practice of aiming at the torso, which presents the biggest target. A successful hit to the torso may detonate an explosive belt. Sir Ian Blair appeared on television on 24 July 2005 to accept responsibility for the error on the part of the Metropolitan Police, and to acknowledge and defend the "shoot to kill" policy, saying: "There is no point in shooting at someone's chest because that is where the bomb is likely to be. There is no point in shooting anywhere else if they fall down and detonate it." The Met's commissioner Sir Ian Blair, and his predecessor Lord Stevens, had expressed concern about the legal position of police officers who might kill suspected suicide bombers. There is no explicit legal requirement for armed officers to warn a suspect before firing, although guidelines published by the Association of Chief Police Officers say that this "should be considered".

A potential suicide bomber is thought to represent a circumstance where warning the suspect may put the public at greater risk because the bomber may detonate his explosives after being warned. Lord Stevens defended the policy he introduced, despite the error that had been made. Azzam Tamimi of the Muslim Association of Britain was critical, saying: "I just cannot imagine how someone pinned to the ground can be a source of danger." Other leaders of the UK's Muslim community took a similar view. Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, defended the police as having acted in the way they thought appropriate at the time, and with the aim of protecting the public. The Jean Charles de Menezes Family Campaign On 16 August 2005, the Jean Charles de Menezes Family Campaign, also known as "Justice4Jean", began calling for a public inquiry into the shooting.

In 2005, the Justice4Jean campaign stated its aims as being to: find out the truth about Jean’s unlawful killing bring those responsible for his death to justice end the ‘Shoot to Kill’ policy and so prevent a similar tragedy happening again A fourth objective, "to campaign against the rising tide of racism and the attack on civil liberties in the UK", was removed from the site in a subsequent site redesign, but was present at the site's inception and in early press releases. As there has been no legal process to assess the lawfulness or otherwise of the killing, critics argue that the inclusion of 'unlawful' in the Campaign's first aim reflects a prejudging of the issue. Critics such as Conservative Party London Assemblyman Brian Coleman have suggested that the involvement of Asad Rehman, a former leader of the Stop the War Coalition and adviser to MP George Galloway, in the Justice4Jean campaign shows that the family's campaign had been "hijacked" and the death of Menezes was being used to "advance a political aim." Galloway's secretary said that Rehman was acting in "a personal capacity, … not in his role as political adviser".

Menezes family members Alessandro Pereira and Vivien Figueiredo have stated that "the campaign is not using or manipulating us." The family campaign has organised three events in 2005: On 29 July 2005, a vigil in Parliament Square and a multifaith memorial service at Westminster Cathedral were held at the same time as Jean's funeral in Brazil. On 22 August 2005, a petition asking for a public inquiry was delivered to Downing Street by Menezes family member Alessandro Pereira and members of Justice4Jean. The protestors made their way from Downing Street to Scotland Yard, together with the relatives of Paul Coker and Azelle Rodney, individuals who also died in London police incidents in 2005. On 10 October 2005, the campaign was publicly launched at the London School of Economics with Menezes' parents, the family lawyer Gareth Peirce, Bianca Jagger, Matthew Taylor MP and Irene Khan from Amnesty International.

Similar incidents The Metropolitan Police have been involved in a number of other incidents in which innocent people have been injured or killed by gunshot, such as: 1983 – Stephen Waldorf, shot and injured whilst driving a Mini car. Police were looking for escaped prisoner David Martin, believed Waldorf's girlfriend Sue Stephens was Martin's girlfriend, and on this basis shot Waldorf. Two officers stood trial for attempted murder and attempted wounding but were cleared of all charges; Waldorf made a full recovery and eventually received £150,000 compensation. 1999 – Harry Stanley, 46, from Hackney, East London, was shot and killed by Metropolitan Police officers who apparently had mistaken a chair-leg being carried in a plastic bag for a firearm. On 2 June 2006, two family homes were raided in an operation involving 250 police in Forest Gate, east London. Both men who were arrested were released without charge. One man, Abdul Kahar, was shot in the shoulder by police. The raid was based on faulty intelligence.

On 2 November 2006 BBC CEEFAX and ITV Teletext reported that one of the officers involved in the de Menezes shooting had been involved in the killing of another person, this time on Tuesday 31 Oct 2006 during an alleged armed robbery at the New Romney branch of the Nationwide Building Society. The person, later named as Robert Bruce Haines, a 41 year old company director from Ashford, Kent, was reported as having later died in the William Harvey Hospital from multiple gunshot wounds. Other UK police forces have been involved in similar incidents: 1988 – the Attorney General announced that eleven RUC officers investigated by the Stalker/Sampson inquiry into an alleged "shoot to kill" policy would not be prosecuted. International criticism followed. 1998 – James Ashley, 39, was shot and killed by Sussex Police while naked and unarmed during a drugs raid at his flat in St Leonards in East Sussex.

British military forces have also faced legal consequences in at least one similar incident: 1988 – three IRA operatives were shot dead in Gibraltar by SAS soldiers, allegedly under a "shoot to kill" policy intended to prevent them from operating any detonator on their person. The three people killed had no explosives or detonators on them, although a timed car bomb was found later. They had been under surveillance for some time prior to the incident. The European Court of Human Rights held, by majority, that there was an opportunity to stop them at an earlier stage without having to shoot them and accordingly their right to life had been infringed. Use of deadly force in anti-terrorism policies resulted in a similar event in the USA: December 2005 – Rigoberto Alpizar was fatally shot at Miami International Airport by two United States of America Federal Air Marshals in similar circumstances. Disputed facts and events Many of the "disputed" facts in this section were very quickly resolved. Some were later demonstated as being patently false and to be fabrications of various "eyewitnesses" and journalists.

Disputed facts include: Clothing With regards to his dress on the day of the shooting The Observer reported that he was dressed in "baseball cap, blue fleece and baggy trousers." Mark Whitby, a witness to the shooting, told Reuters that he observed Menezes wearing a large winter coat, which "looked out of place". Vivien Figueiredo, a cousin of Menezes, was later told by police that Menezes was wearing a denim jacket on the day of the shooting. Anthony Larkin, another eyewitness, told the BBC that Menezes appeared to be wearing a " bomb belt with wires coming out." Based on these eyewitness reports, press speculation at the time said that wearing such heavy clothing on a warm day raised suspicions that Menezes was hiding explosives underneath, and was therefore a potential suicide bomber. At the time of the shooting, the temperature in London (at a Heathrow Airport weather station) was about 17 °C (62 °F). No device resembling a bomb belt was reported as found. Menezes was also not carrying a tool bag, since he had left it with his work colleague the previous evening.

According to the report on leaked IPCC documents, Menezes was wearing a pair of jeans and a light denim jacket. This was confirmed by a photo of his body on the floor of the carriage after the shooting. Police challenge Police initially stated that they challenged Menezes and ordered him to stop outside Stockwell station. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said in a press conference that a warning was issued prior to the shooting. Lee Ruston, an eyewitness who was waiting on the platform, said the police did not identify themselves. The Times reported "senior police sources" as saying that police policy would not require a warning to be given to a suspected suicide bomber before lethal action was taken. The leaked IPCC documents indicated that Menezes was seated on the train carriage when the SO19 armed unit arrived. A shout of 'police' may have been made, but the suspect never really had an opportunity to respond before he was shot. The leaked documents indicated that he was restrained by an unarmed officer before being shot. Ticket barrier Witnesses stated that up to twenty police officers in plain clothes pursued Menezes into Stockwell station, that he jumped over the ticket barrier, ran down an escalator and tried to jump onto a train.

The Menezes' family were briefed by the police that their son did not jump over the ticket barrier and may have used a Travelcard to pass through. The pathologist's post mortem report, which was written in the presence of senior police officers five days after the shooting, recorded that Jean “vaulted over the ticket barriers” and that he “ran down the stairs of the tube station”. By this time the police knew that this version of events was incorrect. Police initially refused to release CCTV footage while the IPCC investigation was ongoing, even to the family. It had been suggested that the man reported by eyewitnesses as jumping over the barrier, may have been one of the police officers in pursuit. According to the leaked IPCC documents, Menezes passed through the barrier normally using his pre-paid Oyster card. CCTV footage Initial UK media reports suggested that no CCTV footage was available from the Stockwell station, as recording media had not been replaced after being removed for examination after the previous day's attempted bombings. Other reports stated that faulty cameras on the platform were the reason for the lack of video evidence. An anonymous source confirmed that CCTV footage was available for the ticket area, but that there was a problem with the platform coverage.

The source suggested that there was no useful CCTV footage from the platform or the train carriage. Extracts from a later police report stated that examination of the platform cameras had produced no footage. It said: "It has been established that there has been a technical problem with the CCTV equipment on the relevant platform and no footage exists." It also reported there was no footage from CCTV in the carriage where Mr. Menezes was shot, saying "Although there was on-board CCTV in the train, due to previous incidents, the hard drive had been removed and not replaced." The platform CCTV system is maintained by the Tube Lines consortium in charge of maintaining the Northern Line; unofficial sources from inside the company insisted that the cameras were in working order. It was also reported that London Underground sources insisted that at least three of the four cameras trained on the Stockwell Tube platform were in full working order, and rejected suggestions that the cameras had not been fitted with new tapes after police took away footage from the previous day, 21 July, when suspects in the failed bombings caught trains there. Motivations Several reasons were initially posited by media sources and family members for why Menezes may have run from police, as indicated by initial reports.

A few weeks prior, he had been attacked by a gang and may have relived the situation upon seeing plainclothes officers chasing him. Several sources have speculated that irregularities about his immigration status may have given him reason to be wary of the police. Menezes' student visa had expired, he was working illegally and some suggest fearful of being deported by authorities. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that a work colleague believed that Menezes ran simply because he was late for his job. It was later indicated by the leaked IPCC documents that Menezes ran across the platform apparently to get a seat on the train, but did not know at the time that he was being watched or pursued. Gunshots It was initially stated by police that Menezes was shot five times in the head.

Mark Whitby, a passenger on the train Menezes had run onto, said: "one of [the police officers] was carrying a black handgun—it looked like an automatic—He half tripped… they pushed him to the floor, bundled on top of him and unloaded five shots into him." Another passenger, Dan Copeland, said: "an officer jumped on the door to my left and screamed, 'Everybody out!' People just froze in their seats cowering for a few seconds and then leapt up. As I turned out the door onto the platform, I heard four dull bangs." Menezes' cousin Alex Pereira, who lived with him, asserted that Menezes had been shot from behind: "I pushed my way into the morgue. They wouldn't let me see him. His mouth was twisted by the wounds and it looked like he had been shot from the back of the neck." Later reports confirmed that Jean Charles de Menezes was shot a total of eight times: seven times in the head and once in the shoulder. The leaked IPCC documents also indicated that an additional three shots had missed Menezes. One witness claimed that the shots were evenly distributed over a timespan of thirty seconds.

However this has not been substantiated by other witness reports or the leaked IPCC documents. Involvement of special forces Several commentators suggested that special forces may have been involved in the shooting. Professor Michael Clarke, Professor of Defence Studies at King's College London, went as far as to say that unless there had been a major change in policy it was likely that it was not the police who had carried out the shooting, but special forces: "To have bullets pumped into him like this suggests quite a lot about him and what the authorities, whoever they are, assumed about him. The fact that he was shot in this way strongly suggests that it was someone the authorities knew and suspected he was carrying explosives on him. […] You don't shoot somebody five times if you think you might have made a mistake and may be able to arrest him. […] Even Special Branch and SO19 are not trained to do this sort of thing. It's plausible that they were special forces or elements of special forces." Later, on 4 August 2005, The Guardian reported that the newly-created Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR), a special forces unit specialising in covert surveillance, were involved in the operation that led to the shooting.

The anonymous Whitehall sources who provided the story stressed that the SRR were involved only in intelligence-gathering, and that Menezes was shot by armed police not by members of the SRR or other soldiers. Defence sources would not comment on speculation that SRR soldiers were among the plainclothes officers who followed Menezes on to the No. 2 bus. On 21 August, the Sunday Herald reported that SRR men are believed to have been in the tube train when the shooting occurred. Unfounded rape allegations In February 2006, a woman claimed to police that a man who resembled Menezes attacked her in a hotel room on New Year's Eve 2002 in West London. Scotland Yard spent several weeks investigating the claim. After the claim was made public in March 2006, the Menezes family denied the allegations and claimed that the Met was trying to "smear" Menezes. Although the family initially resisted giving the claim any credibility, a blood sample was eventually taken with their permission from Menezes's autopsy. On 25 April 2006 Scotland Yard announced that forensic tests on the sample had cleared Menezes.

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Question: In July 2005, who was the Brazilian electrician killed by the Metropolitan Police at Stockwell tube station?
Answer: JEAN CHARLES DE MENEZES