Here's harsh news for both the victim and the British police: they killed a non-terrorist on the Tube, in the mistaken belief that he was a suicide bomber.
Scotland Yard have revealed that the man shot dead by police in south London on Friday is not connected to attempted terror attacks on the capital.A spokesman said: "For somebody to lose their life in such circumstances is a tragedy and one that the Metropolitan Police Service regrets."
The fatal shooting happened in Stockwell at 10am when armed plain clothes police officers shot a man as he tried to board a train at the underground station.
He had emerged from a nearby house that was under surveillance because of a suspected link to Thursday's attempted bomb attacks on three Tube trains and a bus.
The man, whose name has not yet been released, was then followed by surveillance officers.
He is thought to have caught a bus to Stockwell Tube station where he was challenged by officers, who told him to stop.
He apparently tried to get on a train before he was, according to witnesses, shot five times in the head by an officer with an automatic pistol.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair had said that the shooting was "directly linked" to anti-terror operations.
However, in a statement, Scotland Yard have now said: "We believe we now know the identity of the man shot at Stockwell Underground station by police on Friday, July 22, although he is still subject to formal identification.
"We are now satisfied that he was not connected with the incidents of Thursday, July 21, 2005."
The fact that the cops were plainclothes may have contributed to the confusion, but under current conditions in London, it's a big error in judgement to ignore police warnings to stop. Vaulting a barrier in the station isn't a normal behavior.
No matter the cause of the mistake, the incident will no doubt make it harder for police to do what needs to be done, often with only seconds to decide.
Posted by Alan at July 23, 2005 03:12 PM