Tube shooting orders called into question

IT remains unclear whether one of the senior officers at the centre of the operation that led to the death of Jean Charles de Menezes had ordered him to be taken alive.

Mr de Menezes was shot dead at Stockwell Tube Station in London on July 22 after anti-terrorism officers mistook him for a suicide bomber.

Last night it was reported that the person who leaked information about the British police watchdog’s investigation into the shooting had been identified and suspended.

Commander Cressida Dick is understood to have instructed officers to “detain” him minutes before he was shot, the Daily Mirror said. However, ITV News claims the 44-year-old had also told officers “whatever you do, don’t let him get on the Tube”.

Ms Dick, an Oxford graduate, is said to have been either Gold Command - in charge of the operation - or the designated senior officer responsible for the firearms unit when the shooting happened. Scotland Yard has not confirmed what the officer’s role was.

According to the Mirror, she was told that a suspect had emerged from flats in Tulse Hill and instructed a surveillance team to detain the man as soon as possible - and before he got inside the station.

Further revelations suggested that Mr de Menezes was identified as a target to armed police just seconds before he was killed.

Meanwhile, Sky News reported that the source who leaked documents and a photograph of Mr de Menezes lying dead on the floor of the Tube train at Stockwell station to ITV News on Tuesday has been suspended.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission refused to confirm or deny the report.

Spokesman David Nicholson said in a statement: “Our focus is on the search for the truth about the death of Jean Charles de Menezes.

“Both the IPCC and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) recognise that the unauthorised disclosure of information cannot be ignored and must be addressed,” he said.

“We are in discussion with the MPS on this.

“In response to media speculation on IPCC staffing issues, we do not comment on personnel matters.”