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| Menezes marksman 'short briefing' | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| One of the police marksmen who shot Jean Charles de Menezes has told an inquest he had been briefed with only a "pen-sketch idea" of the operation. | |
| The unnamed officer also described police radio quality as "awful" in the minutes before the shooting. | |
| He told the inquest he thought he had been in "immeasurable danger". | He told the inquest he thought he had been in "immeasurable danger". |
| The Brazilian was killed at Stockwell Tube station, south London, on 22 July 2005. Police had mistaken him for failed suicide bomber Hussain Osman. | The Brazilian was killed at Stockwell Tube station, south London, on 22 July 2005. Police had mistaken him for failed suicide bomber Hussain Osman. |
| The officer - codenamed C12 - was watched as he gave evidence by the Brazilian's mother, Maria Otone de Menezes, 63, and brother, Giovani da Silva, 36. | The officer - codenamed C12 - was watched as he gave evidence by the Brazilian's mother, Maria Otone de Menezes, 63, and brother, Giovani da Silva, 36. |
| He had not initially been told of the "urgency" of his deployment and had worked a 14-hour shift the previous day, C12 told the jury at the Oval cricket ground. | He had not initially been told of the "urgency" of his deployment and had worked a 14-hour shift the previous day, C12 told the jury at the Oval cricket ground. |
| Speaking in public about the incident for the first time, he added he had never fired at a suspect before. They were failed suicide bombers - they had prepared devices in order to achieve mass murder Officer C12 | Speaking in public about the incident for the first time, he added he had never fired at a suspect before. They were failed suicide bombers - they had prepared devices in order to achieve mass murder Officer C12 |
| He had been given few details about Osman or the operation during two early morning briefings, he said. | He had been given few details about Osman or the operation during two early morning briefings, he said. |
| "I cannot specifically recall the details but the general talk involved a counter-terrorist operation following the... previous day's bombings," he said. | "I cannot specifically recall the details but the general talk involved a counter-terrorist operation following the... previous day's bombings," he said. |
| "It was a very short briefing - a pen-sketch idea of what we were doing and where we had to go immediately." | "It was a very short briefing - a pen-sketch idea of what we were doing and where we had to go immediately." |
| The firearms officer was asked about his state of mind after being briefed on the operation. | The firearms officer was asked about his state of mind after being briefed on the operation. |
| His voice quavered as he told the inquest: "The danger we were facing, or potentially facing, would be immeasurable. | His voice quavered as he told the inquest: "The danger we were facing, or potentially facing, would be immeasurable. |
| "They were failed suicide bombers. Who knows what their mind set would be? They had prepared devices in order to achieve mass murder. | "They were failed suicide bombers. Who knows what their mind set would be? They had prepared devices in order to achieve mass murder. |
| "They were determined, as we were led to believe, prepared, highly dangerous, and we might have to face them." | "They were determined, as we were led to believe, prepared, highly dangerous, and we might have to face them." |
| Fuzzy signals | |
| C12 said he had been told by Trojan 84, a senior firearms detective, that "any subject would not be left to run". | |
| He said he had been told "they would be intercepted as soon as possible" by the specialist firearms team. | |
| Describing the radio signals during the operation, he said: "They were so bad that I distinctly remember... thinking that another channel is coming over into our channel." | |
| The coroner asked him whether he meant that the radio signal was "weak, faint or fuzzy, so that you couldn't understand what was being said, or what?". | |
| C12 replied: "All of those - it was awful." | |
| Trojan 84 had also briefed the firearms teams that they would have to trust information they received and accept without question any orders from a "designated senior officer" to fire a fatal shot, the inquest heard. | |
| C12 told the inquest: "We on the ground might not be party to all the information that is coming in at the time. | |
| "So in a specific situation there might not be time to question a given order. | |
| "We would just have to act to the best of our ability if a critical shot is authorised." | |
| He said he had "signed out" a Glock pistol, a rifle and stun grenades "to equip me for every eventuality". | He said he had "signed out" a Glock pistol, a rifle and stun grenades "to equip me for every eventuality". |
| Immediate incapacitation | |
| He had also chosen high-density 124-grain ammunition, which he had been told was best for an "immediate incapacitation". | |
| He said: "This type of ammunition had been researched by other officers and it was found that it would be far more suitable if the subject was a suicide bomber and a critical shot was issued." | He said: "This type of ammunition had been researched by other officers and it was found that it would be far more suitable if the subject was a suicide bomber and a critical shot was issued." |
| The officer had earlier told the inquest he had become a member of the Metropolitan Police's CO19 specialist firearms unit in 1996, after a lengthy selection and training process, including courses in abseiling into buildings and using shotguns. | |
| Nicholas Hilliard QC, counsel to the inquest, asked him: "Before this incident, July 22 2005, I don't think you had ever fired your gun at a suspect. Is that right?" | Nicholas Hilliard QC, counsel to the inquest, asked him: "Before this incident, July 22 2005, I don't think you had ever fired your gun at a suspect. Is that right?" |
| C12 replied: "That is correct." | C12 replied: "That is correct." |