A police officer who shot an harmless man he suspected was a terrorist within the wake of the 7/7 London bombings has spoken concerning the killing for the primary time.
Jean Charles de Menezes, a 27-year-old electrician, was killed a fortnight after suicide bombers focused three Tube traces and a London bus on 7 July 2005, killing 52 individuals.
Now one of many firearms officers who shot Mr de Menezes defended his actions, saying he was sure “we were going to die” if he didn’t act.
Mr de Menezes, who was from Brazil, lived in an residence block that had been linked to certainly one of a number of suspects who had deliberate to focus on the capital’s transport community a second time on 21 July.
The next day Mr de Menezes was adopted by officers and shot seven occasions by two marksmen in a practice carriage at Stockwell Tube station in south London.
“Reliving it in this detail is painful,” the officer, identified solely as C12, mentioned on Channel 4’s documentary Shoot To Kill: Terror On The Tube.
“I wish to guarantee that individuals perceive these selections, though they’re taken shortly, they are not taken flippantly.
“Because of his actions, what he did, the information we received, it left me with no other conclusion than I had to act or we were going to die.”
The marksman claimed Mr de Menezes’ manner led him to imagine the electrician was about to detonate a bomb.
The best way Mr De Menezes stood up had “triggered” one thing in his head, C12 claimed.
“He knew who we were. He still continued on his forward momentum as I had my weapon up, pointing at his head,” the officer recalled.
“I remember the surveillance officer then in full body contact with him, and apparently what he was trying to do was pin his hands so that he couldn’t detonate.
“I am anticipating an explosion at any second, he is gonna blow. We’re gonna die. However that is the nub of it.
“If I don’t do something now, we are all going to die.”
Two days after he was killed, Scotland Yard confirmed Mr de Menezes was not linked to the 21 July assaults.
Dame Cressida Dick, who was promoted to Metropolitan Police commissioner in 2017, led the operation by which Mr de Menezes died.
A jury cleared her of any blame in his demise however the Met was fined £175,000 with £385,000 prices after being discovered responsible of endangering the general public.
Shoot To Kill: Terror On The Tube will air on 10 and 11 November on Channel 4.
