London
The police officers who mistook Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes for a terrorist and killed him on the London Underground face possible criminal charges, Scotland Yard said this week. The tragedy took place in July, just two weeks after the London bombings, when the city was tensed for further attacks. The two officers who pumped seven bullets into Menezes’ head as he sat on a subway train have already been told they are under investigation, while the four surveillance officers who trailed him to the station could be investigated later. Initial reports that Menezes, 27, was wearing a bulky jacket in summer and had vaulted the turnstile to enter the subway turned out to be false. Since the accident, the shoot-to-kill policy on suspected terrorists has come under criticism and has been renamed shoot-to-kill-to-protect.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
See the bright lights from these 7 big-city hotelsThe Week Recommends Immerse yourself in culture, history and nightlife
-
Scientists want to regrow human limbs. Salamanders could lead the way.Under the radar Humans may already have the genetic mechanism necessary
-
Seven wild discoveries about animals in 2025In depth Mice have Good Samaritan tendencies and gulls work in gangs
