Tonight:
4°c
Menezes inquest revealed details of hunt for bombers
12 Dec 2008The inquest into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes turned up fresh revelations about a month that changed the course of modern British history.
The dark atmosphere of July 2005 was relived by those at the centre of the investigation into the July 7 suicide bomb attacks.
Jurors heard how Mr de Menezes was shot dead on a day much like any other for the Brazilian electrician's mate from south London.
But counter-terrorist officers were locked into a desperate and unprecedented manhunt for a team of suicide bombers.
Remarkably, the wide-ranging coroner's inquiry uncovered yet more details of how an innocent man could be mistaken for one of the wanted terrorists.
Light was shone for the first time on how those at the very top of Government were aware of Sir Ian Blair's decision to block independent investigators from the scene.
Chief Inspector Stephen Costello, a post-incident manager, revealed Prime Minister Tony Blair was consulted over the controversial decision.
It also emerged fears of further attacks were so great after July 7 a series of landmark locations were locked down and Army units put on stand-by across Britain.
Peter Clarke, then head of counter-terrorism operations, said no one was allowed to leave Buckingham Palace, Parliament or New Scotland Yard for 90 minutes on July 12 2005.
The move followed the discovery that day of the terrorists' Leeds bomb factory and an abandoned car at Luton train station.
Detective Superintendent Jon Boutcher disclosed soldiers were put on alert in other cities, including Birmingham or Manchester.
Earlier, the most senior counter terrorism officer in Britain admitted there were shortcomings in the police response to the failed July 21 attacks.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner John McDowall, who took charge of the manhunt operation, said some surveillance officers did not have a picture of the suspect they were hunting, while several officers only saw a poor quality passport-style photograph of terrorist Hussain Osman during a briefing.
Michael Mansfield QC accused police of failing to take advantage of three better quality images recovered from his unexploded rucksack bomb.
The scale of police fears that chemical or biological weapons might have been used in the July 21 attacks was also laid bare during the inquest.
One witness said it was the "worst nightmare" of police.
Senior officers also discussed concerns about how the wanted men would react if cornered after potentially rearming themselves at an undiscovered bomb factory.
Mr McDowall's evidence also gave an insight into the pressures on senior counter terrorism officers at that time.
He revealed he got just two hours' sleep on the night of July 21 to 22 and only went home once over a month-long period.
In a grim irony, it emerged Mr de Menezes warned his family to make sure they were not at "the wrong place at the wrong time" just hours before he was shot dead.
The 27-year-old telephoned the two women cousins with whom he shared a flat as news of the failed July 21 suicide bombings received blanket media coverage.
Vivian Figueiredo, who grew up with Mr de Menezes in Brazil, said her cousin was deeply concerned by the second wave of suicide attacks and they considered moving.
Ms Figueiredo also revealed her cousin was stopped and searched by police at Brixton Tube station less than a month before his death.
She said he found the encounter with a sniffer dog reassuring and said they should all co-operate with the police.
