MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

London Police defends policy of shooting suspected bombers

London's top police official said he regrets the death of a Brazilian national shot and killed by armed officers in a subway station but defended the policy of shooting to kill suspected suicide bombers.

"To the family I can only offer our deepest regrets", said Ian Blair Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ian Blair. However, "we are quite comfortable that the policy is right, but of course these are fantastically difficult times", added the Police Commissioner.

Police said on Saturday that Jean Charles de Menezes, 27 "was not connected" with Thursday's attempted bombings on London's subway and a double deck bus.

Hours after the shooting Mr. Blair said the shooting "was directly linked to the ongoing and expanding anti terrorist operation".

But Alex Alves Pereira, a cousin of Mr. Menezez said "that apologies are not enough. I believe my cousin's death was result of police incompetence" and government's mistakes. Pereira said his cousin was a person "full of life" and had been living in London for the last three years where he worked as an electrician..

Brazilian Foreign Affairs minister Celso Amorim met at the Foreign Office Sunday with Lord Triesman and Deputy Assistant Commissioner John Yates from the Metropolitan Police Service.

"The Brazilian government and the public are shocked and perplexed that a peaceful and innocent person should have been killed", he said, adding that "Brazil is totally in solidarity with Britain in the fight against terror but people should be cautious to avoid the loss of innocent life. Earlier in the day he spoke on the phone with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw who he said promised a full investigation into the death.

"We can't recover the life of the Brazilian citizen who has been killed, but we can discover the details", said Mr. Amorim who will be meeting Mr. Straw Monday.

Mr. Menezes emerged from a house in Tulse Hill Friday morning which has been under surveillance as part of the investigation into the attempted bombings.

Officers followed him to the underground station where apparently he was challenged by officers and refused to obey orders, before he was shot and killed in front of horrified commuters. "His (heavy) clothing and suspicious behaviour at the station added to their suspicions", according to an official police release.

Trying to explain Mr. Menezes reaction, speculations are that coming from crime rampant Brazil, when plain clothes policemen pulled a gun on him he may have run away.

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.