Marksman in Jean Charles de Menezes Shooting Recalls Fear of Death

A police marksman involved in the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, who was mistakenly identified as a terrorist following the 7/7 London bombings, has stated his conviction that “we were going to die” had he not intervened. The death of Jean Charles de Menezes occurred two weeks subsequent to the 7 July 2005 attacks, where suicide bombers detonated explosives on three Underground lines and a London bus, resulting in 52 fatalities. The firearms officer, whose identity has been withheld for almost two decades, has publicly addressed his involvement for the initial time in Channel 4’s documentary, Shoot To Kill: Terror On The Tube. He explained that Mr de Menezes’ behaviour, once identified as a suspect, caused him to conclude that the Brazilian national was on the verge of detonating an explosive device. The officer commented, “Reliving it in this detail is painful.” He further added, “I want to make sure that people understand these decisions; although they’re taken quickly, they’re not taken lightly.” He concluded, “Because of his actions, what he did, and the information we received, it left me with no other conclusion than I had to act or we were going to die.” On 21 July, individuals attempting suicide bombings again targeted the transport network; however, their explosive devices did not detonate. The subsequent day, Mr de Menezes, a 27-year-old electrician, was erroneously identified as one of the suspects due to a connection with the same residential building. At Stockwell Tube station in south London, he was shot seven times by two marksmen after police personnel pursued him onto a train carriage. The firearms officer, identified solely as C12, stated that Mr de Menezes’ action of standing up had “triggered” a reaction in his mind. He recounted, “He knew who we were. He still continued on his forward momentum as I had my weapon up, pointing at his head.” He further 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.” He expressed his fear, stating, “I’m expecting an explosion at any moment; he’s gonna blow. We’re gonna die. But that’s the nub of it.” He concluded, “If I don’t do something now, we are all going to die.” Scotland Yard confirmed on 23 July that Mr de Menezes had no association with the attacks of 21 July. Dame Cressida Dick, who became Metropolitan Police commissioner in 2017, was in charge of the operation that resulted in Mr de Menezes’ death. A jury absolved her of any responsibility for his death following the conclusion of the prosecution of the Metropolitan Police under health and safety legislation. Sir Tony Blair, then serving as prime minister, recounted being in a bilateral discussion with the Chinese president when he was informed of the 7/7 bombings. He stated, “I got handed a piece of paper saying there’d been a series of incidents on the London Underground.” He added, “At that time, I didn’t have any more information about it. The moment you get passed a note like that, you expect the worst.” The documentary Shoot To Kill: Terror On The Tube is scheduled to be broadcast on Channel 4 on 10 and 11 November.