Somebody else could be shot - London police chief

Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Ian Blair today admitted further people could be shot as detectives hunt down the would-be suicide bombers who tried to bring further carnage to London last week.

His comments followed the fatal shooting of innocent Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, who was killed by undercover police officers on Friday morning as he tried to board a Tube train at Stockwell, south London.

Sir Ian admitted there was a “shoot-to-kill policy” for tackling suicide bombers and it would not change, although the death of Mr de Menezes was a “tragedy”.

“Somebody else could be shot. But everything is done to make it right,” Sir Ian told Sunday with Adam Boulton on Sky News.

“This is a terrifying set of circumstances for individuals to make decisions.”

Sir Ian defended the actions of his officers, saying: ``What we have got to recognise is that people are taking incredibly difficult fast time decisions in life threatening situations.

“It wasn’t just a random event and what’s most important to recognise is that it’s still happening out there.

“There are still officers out there having to make those calls as we speak.”

He said Mr de Menezes had emerged from a “not very large” block of flats which had been under surveillance before he was followed to Stockwell station.

The shoot-to-kill procedures for dealing with suicide bombers would remain in place.

“They have to be that because there is no point in shooting at someone’s chest because that is where the bomb is likely to be,” he said.

“There is no point in shooting anywhere else if they fall down and detonate it.

“It is drawn from experience from other countries, including Sri Lanka. The only way to deal with this is to shoot to the head.”

The policy had been “reviewed and reviewed” for many months and was a national one, not just for London, he said.

“I think we are quite comfortable the policy is right but these are fantastically difficult times,” Sir Ian said.

“We have to take this tragedy, deeply regret it and move on to the main investigation which is proceeding at an extraordinary pace.”

He said his officers had tried to get Mr de Menezes under control before shooting him.

“We will try and get them under control and that is what this man was being asked to do,” he said

“The important thing here is there is nothing gratuitous going on, there is nothing cavalier here, there is no conspiracy to shoot people.”

Sir Ian described the instructions to armed officers as a “shoot to kill in order to protect policy”.

In an apology to the dead man’s family he said: “This is a tragedy. The Metropolitan Police accepts full responsibility for this. To the family I can only express my deep regrets.”

Sir Ian said there was “no reason” to believe last week’s would-be bombers were not still in this country.

He said there was no proof the July 7 attacks and July 21 attempted attacks were linked but there was a “pattern”.