London attacks

[Bad Wolf]

in the light of the recent terrorist attacks on the capital, and subesquent events, we felt it would be a good idea to dedicate a thread, so you can share your feelings about the atrocities and dicuss the actions of those involved

we also aim to dismiss any rumours

the news source we'll be using is the BBC- as they generall tell the truth and are very well sourced

but feel free to post anything you hear/read or see anywhere else

[Bad Wolf]

House raided in hunt for bombers


Police hunting four bombing suspects have searched an address in the Harrow Road area of north-west London.

Residents reported hearing bangs, believed to be the firing of CS gas cannisters into a house, but police said no arrests were made.

One neighbour told BBC News 24 that armed officers had taken over her living room, telling her there may be a bomb in the flat opposite.

A second focus of the police operation appeared to be a nearby internet cafe.

In that incident, in Harrow Road, West Kilburn, BBC defence correspondent Paul Adams said locals had spoken of dramatic scenes where two women, described as being of Middle Eastern appearance, and a young boy were detained by armed officers and forced to the ground.

One or more were led away by police, he was told.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif
He said there had also been reports of the women and a boy being taken away in an ambulance, but it was not clear if anyone had been injured.

Adams added the situation was "clear as mud".

Armed officers in body armour, several police vehicles and an ambulance were at the scene. A stretch of road was sealed off and residents told to stay in their homes, but the cordon has now been lifted.

Mohammed Kalam, 29, said he had been on a bus when he saw police surrounding two men outside an internet cafe.

He later saw a young boy and a woman, both with their hands on the wall of the cafe, he said.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41333000/gif/_41333731_harrow_rd_map203.gif The operation followed the shooting dead of a suspect in Stockwell

"The boy was wearing a red t-shirt but police then made him put on a white outfit," he said.

"I heard police say: 'Put your hands against the wall. Don't panic'."

He said he then saw the people being detained getting into an ambulance.

A student, who gave his name as Ahmed, said he was coming out of a barber's shop on when he saw someone coming out of the internet cafe with "what looked like gas masks".

In nearby Portnall Road, off Harrow Road, a house was raided by officers, who reportedly first sent in a remote-controlled bomb disposal unit before firing CS gas in the windows and basement.

Venetia Elphick, 40 - who said her flat was used as a police base for the raid - told the BBC that armed officers knocked on her door and asked to come in.

She said: "They took over my sitting room and told me I had to sit at the back of the flat.

'Big bang'

"I was absolutely terrified because they let me know that there was a bomb, possibly, in the house opposite, on the other side of the street.

"They sat at each window with their machine guns and they told me to leave the sitting room, so I couldn't see face to face what was happening."

She said she heard shots - although did not know how many - and the sound of the "hissing of gas".

The officers were in her flat for around an hour and a half, she said.

"They said it was to do with the bombs yesterday."

Another resident Kenneth Mulligan also said police used his house during the operation.

He said the officers were pointing the guns out the window towards the house across the road. Police sent a machine into the house across the road, he said.

"I heard five bangs and then the sixth bang was a big one. I don't think it was a bomb, I think they were firing a canister of gas. The police had gas masks on."

In relation to the house raid in Portnall Rd, off Harrow Road, resident Patricia Osbourne told BBC News 24 she had heard six sounds that she believed were gunshots.

"We could quite clearly hear that there were shots being fired," she said. We could hear it but we couldn't see it."

Another one witness told the BBC he saw remote-controlled trucks that he thought were used by bomb disposal units. Huse Monfaradi, 31, who lives in Portnall Road, off Harrow Road, told BBC News 24: "From my window I can see 20 doors down what looks like a bomb disposal-type vehicle. It's armoured and there are several armed officers around it. "The police ran up my road telling everyone to get inside their houses. "Anyone who even puts their head out, they scream 'get inside your house'."

[Bad Wolf]

Man shot dead by police on Tube


Police have said they shot a man dead at Stockwell Tube station in south London after he was challenged and refused to obey an order.

Met Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said the shooting was "directly linked" to the ongoing London bombs inquiry.

Police have said it is not yet clear if he was one of four bombing suspects shown on newly released CCTV footage. A second man arrested at a flat in the Stockwell area is being held under the Terrorism Act, Scotland Yard has said.

Scotland Yard said the man arrested had been taken to Paddington Green police station in central London for questioning.

He is being held on suspicion of the preparation, instigation and commission of acts of terrorism.

Residents of flats between Carroun Road and Dorset Road said armed police had raided a flat at about 1630 BST and led away a man, woman and child, who were dressed in plastic boiler suits.

One neighbour, 42-year-old Adil Abdulla, said: "We heard some shouting and there were police with guns saying 'get inside', they were saying 'get down, get down'.

"The man said 'I'm doing it' and the police said to him 'if you don't do it, you are going to get shot'."

Scotland Yard said the man shot dead at about 1000 BST on Friday in Stockwell had still to be formally identified.

BBC correspondent Tom Symonds, in Stockwell, said it appeared his body had been taken from the station on Friday evening in a coroner's van.

The man was under police observation because he had emerged from a house that was being watched following Thursday's attacks, a Scotland Yard spokesman said.

He was followed by surveillance officers to Stockwell station, where his clothing and behaviour added to their suspicions, he added.

Police warned the man, who ran on to the station platform. Witnesses said the officers opened fire as he jumped on to a train.

'Pushed to the floor'

Sir Ian told a press conference: "I need to make clear that any death is deeply regrettable but as I understand the situation the man was challenged and refused to obey police instructions."

The incident is being investigated and, like all fatal police shootings, will be scrutinised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Stockwell passenger Mark Whitby told BBC News he had seen a man of Asian appearance shot five times by "plain-clothes police officers".

"One of them was carrying a black handgun - it looked like an automatic - they pushed him to the floor, bundled on top of him and unloaded five shots into him," he said.

Police have cordoned off a 200-metre area around Stockwell station, where forensic officers are working amid sheeting and scaffolding.

Passengers were evacuated from the station, which is on the Northern and Victoria lines. Services on those lines have resumed but Stockwell, Oval and Warren Street stations remain closed.

BBC Home affairs correspondent Margaret Gilmore said officers had challenged a known suspect they had been following.

"He ran, they followed him. They say they gave him a warning, they then shot him.

"They brought in the air ambulance. They did everything they can to revive him. He died at the scene."

Questions asked

The Muslim Council of Britain said Muslims were concerned about a possible "shoot to kill" policy.

Spokesman Inayat Bunglawala said: "There may well be reasons why the police felt it necessary to unload five shots into the man and shoot him dead, but they need to make those reasons clear."

Another passenger on the train, Anthony Larkin, told BBC News the man appeared to be wearing a "bomb belt with wires coming out".

Londoner Dan Copeland was in the carriage in which the man was shot.

He told BBC News: "We were sitting for a few minutes on the platform, then we heard shouting from the concourse between the two platforms.

"Then the man burst in through the door to my right and grabbed hold of the pole and a person by the glass partition near the door, diagonally opposite me.

"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. "I ran past an armed officer who was standing on the platform and ran up the stairs."

[Bad Wolf]

Second man held over bomb alert


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41333000/jpg/_41333025_suspect_four_203x152.jpg Police have linked these men to the failed London bomb attacks

A second man has been arrested in connection with Thursday's attempted bombings in London, police said.

The man was held in Stockwell, south London, under anti-terror laws late on Friday night, police said.

A man arrested in a raid at Stockwell on Friday afternoon is still being questioned by police in central London.

Police had released CCTV images of four men wanted for questioning over the failed bomb attacks on three Tube trains and a bus.

Police said they had had an encouraging response from the public after the CCTV pictures were released late on Friday.

'Direct link'

Meanwhile, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating Friday's fatal shooting of a man at Stockwell Tube station.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said the shooting was "directly linked" to the ongoing London bombs enquiry.

It is normal procedure for fatal police shootings to be investigated by the IPCC.

The dead man, who was under police observation, was killed at about 1000 BST after apparently refusing to stop as he entered Stockwell station.

Eyewitnesses say he was chased onto a train where officers bundled on top of him and shot him in the head.

Passenger Anthony Larkin told BBC News the man appeared to be wearing a "bomb belt with wires coming out".

Police have said it is not yet clear if he was one of four bombing suspects.

'Shoot to kill'

Members of the public have been warned not to approach the suspects, whose movements are listed below:

The first image showed a man in a black sweater running away from Oval station's Northern Line at 1234 BST on Thursday. Police believe he had travelled north from Stockwell. His top was later found in nearby Brixton.
The second image showed a man on the number 26 bus travelling from Waterloo to Hackney Wick. He got off the bus at Hackney Road at about 1306 BST.
The third image showed a man leaving Warren Street station at 1239 BST.
Police believe the man pictured at Westbourne Park station at 1221 BST travelled west on the Hammersmith and City Line to Shepherd's Bush, where he ran from the station.

Scotland Yard has urged anyone who knows the whereabouts of the men captured on CCTV to call 999.

They said if they could identify any of them they should call the anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321.

The Muslim Council of Britain said they were concerned about a possible police "shoot to kill" policy.

The man arrested in Stockwell earlier on Friday is being held at Paddington Green station, central London, on suspicion of the preparation, instigation and commission of acts of terrorism.

He was arrested at a block of flats between Carroun Road and Dorset Road at about 1630 BST by armed police. He was led away with a woman and child.

Meanwhile, a 29-year-old West Yorkshire man, held since 12 July on suspicion of terrorist offences, has been released without charge.

'Greatest challenge'

Sir Ian Blair said the failed attacks and the carnage on 7 July had left Scotland Yard facing "the greatest operational challenge" in its history.

He said: "This operation is targeted against criminals - not any community or section of a community."

Three of the devices found after the failed bombings were the same size and weight as those used on 7 July. The fourth was smaller and appeared to have been contained in a plastic box. The same chemicals appear to have been used. They targeted Oval, Warren Street and Shepherd's Bush stations and a bus in Hackney.

[Bad Wolf]

Shot man not connected to bombing

A man shot dead by police hunting the bombers behind Thursday's London attacks was a Brazilian electrician unconnected to the incidents.

The man, who died at Stockwell Tube on Friday, has been named by police as Jean Charles de Menezes, 27.

Two other men have been arrested and are being questioned after bombers targeted three Tube trains and a bus.

Police also said a suspect package found in north-west London on Saturday may be linked to Thursday's attacks.

'Tragedy'

Scotland Yard said Mr Menezes, who lived in Brixton, south London, was completely unconnected to the bomb attacks and added: "For somebody to lose their life in such circumstances is a tragedy and one that the Metropolitan Police Service regrets."

The Brazilian government has expressed its shock at the killing and Brazil's foreign minister Celso Amorim is on his way to London to get an explanation from foreign secretary Jack Straw.

In a statement the government said it "looks forward to receiving the necessary explanation from the British authorities on the circumstances which led to this tragedy".

The shooting is being investigated by officers from Scotland Yard's Directorate of Professional Standards, and will be referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

The family of Mr Menezes told the Brazilian media there was nothing in his past which would give him a reason to run from police.

Mr Menezes' cousin, Alex Alves, told O Globo television: "I asked that the body be released as quickly as possible, we need to bring him to Brazil, which is what the family wants".

"He does not have a past that would make him run from police," he said.

Mr Alves said Mr Menezes, who was from the city of Gonzaga in Minas Gerais state, had lived in London legally for at least three years and was employed as an electrician. Civil rights groups have called for a full inquiry into the shooting.

Meanwhile Dr Azzam Tamimi from the Muslim Association of Britain told BBC News the police should review their procedures.

"Frankly it doesn't matter whether he is a Muslim or not, he is a human being.

"It is human lives that are being targeted whether by terrorists or whether in this case unfortunately, by people who are supposed to be chasing or catching the terrorists."

The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, said: "The police acted to do what they believed necessary to protect the lives of the public.

"This tragedy has added another victim to the toll of deaths for which the terrorists bear responsibility."

Suspicious package

A package was found by a member of the public in bushes in Little Wormwood Scrubs on Saturday morning.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Explosives officers attended the scene. An initial examination suggests that the object may be linked to devices found at four locations in London on July 21."

Police said it would be subject to "detailed forensic analysis".

Police have also raided a house in Streatham Hill, south London, in connection with the failed attacks.

Meanwhile the News of the World newspaper has offered a £100,000 reward to catch the second wave of London bombers. Scotland Yard said they had been contacted by over 500 members of the public following the release of CCTV footage of four suspects. Detectives said they were hopeful of useful lines of inquiry coming from the calls and e-mails.

[Bad Wolf]

Family condemns police shooting

The family of a Brazilian man shot dead by police hunting the men behind London's attempted bomb attacks have told of their anger and disbelief.

Jean Charles de Menezes's grandmother said there "was no reason to think he was a terrorist".

Police expressed "regret" over the killing of the 27-year-old electrician at Stockwell Tube station on Friday, admitting it was a "tragedy".

Brazil's foreign minister is seeking an explanation from Jack Straw.

Their comments came after Scotland Yard confirmed Mr Menezes, who lived in Brixton, south London, was completely unconnected to Thursday's bomb attacks across London.

Elsewhere two men have been arrested after bombers targeted three Tube trains and a bus in the failed attacks.

Police also said a suspect package found in north-west London on Saturday may be linked to those attacks.

'Tragedy'

His family are struggling to come to terms with the circumstances surrounding Mr Menezes' death.

His cousin, Alex Alves Pereira, from London, told the BBC: "Apologies are not enough. I believe my cousin's death was result of police incompetence."

Describing his cousin as a "person full of life" he said his cousin was "a victim of government's mistakes."

He told Brazil's O Globo television: "He does not have a past that would make him run from police."

Mr Menezes' grandmother, Zilda Ambrosia de Figueiredo, told Globo TV "there was no reason to think he was a terrorist".

"He was very easy going and very communicative with everyone."

In a statement earlier Scotland Yard said: "For somebody to lose their life in such circumstances is a tragedy and one that the Metropolitan Police Service regrets."

But Brazil's foreign minister Celso Amorim will be demanding further explanations when he meets the foreign secretary in London later on Sunday.

In a statement Brazil's government said it "looks forward to receiving the necessary explanation from the British authorities on the circumstances which led to this tragedy".

The shooting is being investigated by officers from Scotland Yard's Directorate of Professional Standards, and will be referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Mr Menezes' cousin Mr Pereira, said the 27-year-old was from the city of Gonzaga in Minas Gerais state, and had lived in London legally for at least three years.

The BBC's correspondent in Brazil, Tom Gibb, said Mr Menezes had lived for a time in a slum district of Sao Paulo and that could explain why he had run from the police.

He said: "The murder rates in some of these slums are worse than in a lot of war zones and that could explain why, when plain clothes officers pulled a gun on him, he may have run away."

Gésio César D'avila, a friend and colleague, said Mr Menezes had considered alternative transport after the failed attacks on 21 July.

"We were together on Thursday, and when we saw what happened, Jean said he wanted to buy a motorbike to avoid the tube," he said.

Surveillance

Mr Menezes had come out of a house in Tulse Hill, south London, which had been under police surveillance because of a suspected link to Thursday's attempted bombings.

Police said Mr Menezes clothing and behaviour added to their suspicions.

After leaving the house he caught a bus to Stockwell Tube, where officers told him to stop.


He then ran down an escalator and tried to board a train before being shot, witnesses say. Civil rights groups have called for a full inquiry.

Meanwhile Dr Azzam Tamimi, from the Muslim Association of Britain, told BBC News the police should review their procedures.

"It is human lives that are being targeted whether by terrorists or whether in this case unfortunately by people who are supposed to be chasing or catching the terrorists."

But the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, said: "The police acted to do what they believed necessary to protect the lives of the public.

"This tragedy has added another victim to the toll of deaths for which the terrorists bear responsibility."

Suspicious package

A package was found by a member of the public in bushes in Little Wormwood Scrubs on Saturday morning.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "An initial examination suggests that the object may be linked to devices found at four locations in London on July 21."

Police said it would be subject to "detailed forensic analysis". Police have also raided a house in Streatham Hill, south London, in connection with the failed attacks. Meanwhile the News of the World newspaper has offered a £100,000 reward to catch the second wave of London bombers.