Liverpool library anti-terror raids
By Luke Traynor and Ben Schofield | April 8, 2009
[UPDATED TWICE]
~~~
FIVE terror suspects were swooped upon by armed police the North West Anti-Terror Unit have confirmed.
Three were arrested on Cedar Grove, one on Earle Road and one outside Liverpool's John Moores University library.
They were arrested along with seven others as part of a North West operation. The ages of the twelve men remain unclear but range between a teenager in his mid to late teens and a 41-year-old man.
Searches are still taking place at Cedar Grove, Earle Road and Highgate Street.
Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Porter, head of the North West CTU said: "Today's action is part of a continuing investigation and we have acted on intelligence received.
"Although the operation is ongoing, this phase is still in its very early stages, so the information we can release about it is limited.
"We understand that this kind of police activity can cause concern to people living in nearby communities, and we have ensured they will be able to discuss issues or concerns linked to today's operation with local officers who are providing a high-profile presence.
"We are also distributing letters around the areas concerned and will be meeting with community groups to address any concerns they may have."
The force confirmed several hundred officers were involved in today's operation, including armed officers who were deployed during some of the arrests.
~~~
8 April 2009 19.38:
A LIVERPOOL university library was hit by anti-terror raids after Britain's most senior counter terrorism police officer was caught on camera with sensitive documents.
It is believed tonight's raids were brought forward following a security leak earlier in the day.
Britain’s most senior counter terrorism police officer Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick, head of Scotland Yard’s specialist operations wing, was caught on camera clutching sensitive documents as he arrived in Downing Street.
Among a large bundle of papers under his arm was a white document clearly marked "secret" and carrying an outline briefing on an ongoing counter-terrorism operation.
The information, which cannot be reported, included the names of several senior officers, locations and details about the nature of the overseas threat.
The senior officer was due to meet Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to discuss police reform.
Mr Quick was attending the meeting in his role as lead for counter terrorism and for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo).
Mr Quick apologised to Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson tonight following the blunder. He said he ``deeply regretted'' leaving the document on show.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Assistant Commissioner Quick accepts he made a mistake on leaving a sensitive document on open view and deeply regrets it.
"He has apologised to the Commissioner and colleagues."
~~~
8 April 2009 18.00:
ARMED police stormed a Liverpool university library to apprehend two men in a suspected terrorist related incident.
John Moores University students screamed in horror when officers burst into the building on Maryland Street, in the city centre, at around 5pm.
Eyewitnesses described how police chased the men before wrestling them to the ground.
It is believed that the two men were incapacated by two officers using Tazer-style weapons.
Students who were in the building told of how they were instructed to move away from the glass walls while the suspects were pursued.
Armed officers held them at gunpoint for 30 minutes while around 200 people were kept in the building, off Hardman Street.
One student said: "The police rushed in and told everyone to stay on their chairs.
"Then we saw the police chasing two blokes before they jumped on them and held them down.
"There was loads of shouting and it was pretty frightening."
It is believed the men were arrested and a thorough search of the library was carried out.
Further arrests were made by police across the North West in a intelligence led operation.
Lancashire Evening Post : 12 arrested in al-Qaida terror swoops
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
12 arrested in al-Qaida terror swoops
By Matthew Squires | April 8, 2009
Up to 100 police officers - some armed with guns - swooped on the Homebase store in Clitheroe at 5.30pm on Wednesday and handcuffed two uniformed guards in the foyer.
One witness said: "There was police everywhere, some of them had guns.
"They walked in, handcuffed the two guys and put them in the back of their van. No-one knew what was happening."
Police also raided the nearby Brooklyn Guest House in Pimlico Road where the two men, believed to be Asian, were staying.
The Lancashire Evening Post understands the two suspects are employed by a private security firm and have only just started work at the store, which was due to open for the first time on Thursday.
A total of 12 men - all aged between late teens and 41 - have now been arrested on suspicion of having links with al-Qaida after raids at eight properties in Cheetham Hill in Manchester, Liverpool and those in Clitheroe.
Ten of the suspects are Pakistan-born nationals on student visas and one is a UK-born British national.
The counter-terrorism raids - codenamed Operation Pathway - had to be brought forward after senior counter-terrorism officer, Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick was caught on camera clutching a bundle of 'secret' documents as he arrived in Downing Street for a briefing on Wednesday.
Mr Quick has resigned after his security blunder threatened the anti-terror operation, London Mayor Boris Johnson said on Thursday morning.
Stunned residents have told how anti-terror police stormed a DIY store and led away the two security guards.
Minutes later, two Asian guards were brought out, handcuffed and led into waiting police vehicles.
An eyewitness said: "About 50 vehicles filled the car park and the police stormed in and quickly brought the two men out.
"They seemed to know who they were looking for. It looked a well-planned operation."
Officers were later seen removing bin bags full of evidence from the store.
Police simultaneously raided the Brooklyn Guest House in Pimlico Road where the two men - who are not from Lancashire - were staying.
'Sleepy market town'
One resident of Pimlico Road, Adam Howard, 38, said: "At about 5.40 I saw a blue van slow down when it got to the B&B and a silver Ford S-Max behind it and then all the police just ran across the road.
"The door was already open and some of them went round the back.
"I noticed the curtains were closed in the upstairs right hand window but about a minute after the police went in they were open and the light was on.
"I didn't see them bring anyone out but there were a lot of police around and a lot of people in suits. Then the search units arrived.
"In a place like Clitheroe things like this don't happen, it is a sleepy market town."
Police launched swoops at eight addresses in total - including Liverpool John Moores University and two other Merseyside addresses and four properties in Cheetham Hill, Manchester.
Student Daniel Taylor was on the second floor of the building when he heard shouting outside.
He said: "When I looked I saw a man on the floor. Police were shouting at him and one of the officers had what looked like a machine gun pointed right into his head."
In Manchester, two men were arrested at an internet cafe and shop on Cheetham Hill Road.
The raids come just two months after a nine men travelling to join a convoy taking supplies to Gaza were stopped on the M65 near Preston in an anti-terror operation.
The men were later released without charge.
Last month a meeting between the Asian community in Lancashire and Lancashire police was held - but police refused to apologise over the operation.
By Matthew Squires | April 8, 2009
Up to 100 police officers - some armed with guns - swooped on the Homebase store in Clitheroe at 5.30pm on Wednesday and handcuffed two uniformed guards in the foyer.
One witness said: "There was police everywhere, some of them had guns.
"They walked in, handcuffed the two guys and put them in the back of their van. No-one knew what was happening."
Police also raided the nearby Brooklyn Guest House in Pimlico Road where the two men, believed to be Asian, were staying.
The Lancashire Evening Post understands the two suspects are employed by a private security firm and have only just started work at the store, which was due to open for the first time on Thursday.
A total of 12 men - all aged between late teens and 41 - have now been arrested on suspicion of having links with al-Qaida after raids at eight properties in Cheetham Hill in Manchester, Liverpool and those in Clitheroe.
Ten of the suspects are Pakistan-born nationals on student visas and one is a UK-born British national.
The counter-terrorism raids - codenamed Operation Pathway - had to be brought forward after senior counter-terrorism officer, Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick was caught on camera clutching a bundle of 'secret' documents as he arrived in Downing Street for a briefing on Wednesday.
Mr Quick has resigned after his security blunder threatened the anti-terror operation, London Mayor Boris Johnson said on Thursday morning.
Stunned residents have told how anti-terror police stormed a DIY store and led away the two security guards.
Minutes later, two Asian guards were brought out, handcuffed and led into waiting police vehicles.
An eyewitness said: "About 50 vehicles filled the car park and the police stormed in and quickly brought the two men out.
"They seemed to know who they were looking for. It looked a well-planned operation."
Officers were later seen removing bin bags full of evidence from the store.
Police simultaneously raided the Brooklyn Guest House in Pimlico Road where the two men - who are not from Lancashire - were staying.
'Sleepy market town'
One resident of Pimlico Road, Adam Howard, 38, said: "At about 5.40 I saw a blue van slow down when it got to the B&B and a silver Ford S-Max behind it and then all the police just ran across the road.
"The door was already open and some of them went round the back.
"I noticed the curtains were closed in the upstairs right hand window but about a minute after the police went in they were open and the light was on.
"I didn't see them bring anyone out but there were a lot of police around and a lot of people in suits. Then the search units arrived.
"In a place like Clitheroe things like this don't happen, it is a sleepy market town."
Police launched swoops at eight addresses in total - including Liverpool John Moores University and two other Merseyside addresses and four properties in Cheetham Hill, Manchester.
Student Daniel Taylor was on the second floor of the building when he heard shouting outside.
He said: "When I looked I saw a man on the floor. Police were shouting at him and one of the officers had what looked like a machine gun pointed right into his head."
In Manchester, two men were arrested at an internet cafe and shop on Cheetham Hill Road.
The raids come just two months after a nine men travelling to join a convoy taking supplies to Gaza were stopped on the M65 near Preston in an anti-terror operation.
The men were later released without charge.
Last month a meeting between the Asian community in Lancashire and Lancashire police was held - but police refused to apologise over the operation.
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CNN : Source: 12 arrested in 'very serious' terror plot in UK
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Source: 12 arrested in 'very serious' terror plot in UK
April 8, 2009
(CNN) -- British police Wednesday arrested 12 people in a counterterrorism operation, and locations were being searched, authorities said.
Arrests were carried out in a series of raids in northwest England, police said. Participating agencies included Merseyside Police, Greater Manchester Police and the Lancashire Constabulary, according to a statement from Greater Manchester Police.
The men arrested were involved in a "very serious" plot closely associated with al Qaeda and escaped al Qaeda operative Rashid Rauf, whom British intelligence have linked to the 2006 plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners, according to a security source with knowledge of the investigation.
The new plot was not believed to be targeting national infrastructure, such as rail lines, airports or utilities, nor was it clear if the plot was to involved bombs or an assault involving gunmen, the source said.
Details, the source said, were speculative at this point in the investigation.
The source also said authorities don't believe the targets would have been in the north of England, where the arrests took place, and that at least some of those arrested were Pakistanis in the United Kingdom on student visas.
Several hundred officers were involved in the raids, according to a later Greater Manchester Police statement. The men arrested range in age from a youth in his mid- to late teens to a 41-year-old, the statement said. No further information was available, police said.
"Today's action is part of an ongoing investigation and we have acted on intelligence received," said Steve Ashley, chief superintendent of Merseyside police.
"We understand that this kind of police activity can cause concerns to people living in nearby communities. The extra patrols, cordons and measures we have in place have been implemented to make sure we are doing everything we can to reassure the public and maintain public safety."
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, in a written statement, congratulated police for the "successful anti-terrorism operation which has resulted in 12 arrests at a number of locations."
She said the actions were an operational decision by police and Security Services, but she and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown were kept apprised.
Police rushed to make the arrests after press photographers on Tuesday snapped images of the U.K.'s chief terrorism officer as he got out of a car at the prime minister's residence, according to the security source.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick was carrying a document containing the names of those to be arrested, the source said, and the photographers were able to easily read the names when they enlarged the photographs.
But, the source said, the arrests would probably have taken place Thursday, and preparations for the arrests were the reason for Quick's visit to see Brown.
"Tonight, the focus is the ongoing operation. That's my priority," Smith said.
Scotland Yard issued a statement regarding the incident.
"Quick accepts he made a mistake on leaving a sensitive document on open view and deeply regrets it. He has apologized to the commissioner and the colleagues."
April 8, 2009
(CNN) -- British police Wednesday arrested 12 people in a counterterrorism operation, and locations were being searched, authorities said.
Arrests were carried out in a series of raids in northwest England, police said. Participating agencies included Merseyside Police, Greater Manchester Police and the Lancashire Constabulary, according to a statement from Greater Manchester Police.
The men arrested were involved in a "very serious" plot closely associated with al Qaeda and escaped al Qaeda operative Rashid Rauf, whom British intelligence have linked to the 2006 plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners, according to a security source with knowledge of the investigation.
The new plot was not believed to be targeting national infrastructure, such as rail lines, airports or utilities, nor was it clear if the plot was to involved bombs or an assault involving gunmen, the source said.
Details, the source said, were speculative at this point in the investigation.
The source also said authorities don't believe the targets would have been in the north of England, where the arrests took place, and that at least some of those arrested were Pakistanis in the United Kingdom on student visas.
Several hundred officers were involved in the raids, according to a later Greater Manchester Police statement. The men arrested range in age from a youth in his mid- to late teens to a 41-year-old, the statement said. No further information was available, police said.
"Today's action is part of an ongoing investigation and we have acted on intelligence received," said Steve Ashley, chief superintendent of Merseyside police.
"We understand that this kind of police activity can cause concerns to people living in nearby communities. The extra patrols, cordons and measures we have in place have been implemented to make sure we are doing everything we can to reassure the public and maintain public safety."
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, in a written statement, congratulated police for the "successful anti-terrorism operation which has resulted in 12 arrests at a number of locations."
She said the actions were an operational decision by police and Security Services, but she and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown were kept apprised.
Police rushed to make the arrests after press photographers on Tuesday snapped images of the U.K.'s chief terrorism officer as he got out of a car at the prime minister's residence, according to the security source.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick was carrying a document containing the names of those to be arrested, the source said, and the photographers were able to easily read the names when they enlarged the photographs.
But, the source said, the arrests would probably have taken place Thursday, and preparations for the arrests were the reason for Quick's visit to see Brown.
"Tonight, the focus is the ongoing operation. That's my priority," Smith said.
Scotland Yard issued a statement regarding the incident.
"Quick accepts he made a mistake on leaving a sensitive document on open view and deeply regrets it. He has apologized to the commissioner and the colleagues."
Filed under
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Manchester,
Rashid Rauf
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Guardian : Security leak by senior Scotland Yard commander Bob Quick prompts arrests in suspected al-Qaida plot
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Security leak by senior Scotland Yard commander Bob Quick prompts arrests in suspected al-Qaida plot
Owen Bowcott and Vikram Dodd | April 8, 2009
Counter-terrorist police arrested 10 young men across the north-west tonight in an operation hastily brought forward following an embarrassing security leak by a senior Scotland Yard commander.
The men, detained at John Moores University in Liverpool, an internet cafe and a house in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester, as well as at addresses in Lancashire, are suspected of involvement in an al-Qaida plot aimed at attacking the UK.
At least one is believed to be a student, the others were born in Pakistan.
The arrests were triggered after Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick, head of Scotland Yard's specialist operations wing, was photographed this morning clutching sensitive documents as he arrived in Downing Street. Clearly visible on top of a large bundle of papers under his arm was a white document marked "secret" that carried an outline for briefing on a current counter-terrorism operation. He was on his way to attend a cabinet security committee.
Realising the existence of the photos of the document – which included the names of several senior officers, sensitive locations and details about the nature of the overseas threat – a "D notice" was imposed by the government to restrict the media from revealing the contents of the picture.
Quick had been due to meet Gordon Brown and the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, to discuss police reform. He was also addressing the meeting in his role as lead for counter-terrorism and for the Association of Chief Police Officers.
Tonight Quick apologised to the Metropolitan commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Assistant Commissioner Quick accepts he made a mistake on leaving a sensitive document on open view and deeply regrets it. He has apologised to the commissioner and colleagues."
The arrests were led by Greater Manchester police, the force which coordinates anti-terrorist operations in the region. "Ten men have been arrested as part of a counter-terrorism operation across the north-west of England," a statement from the force said. "Officers from the North West Counter-Terrorism Unit, supported by Merseyside police, Greater Manchester police and Lancashire constabulary, carried out a series of raids."
According to initial accounts a taser stun gun was used by armed police to subdue some of the suspects who were arrested at John Moores University. Ruth Jones, a third-year student at the university, told the Guardian that she was preparing to leave for the day when an announcement was made over the tannoy system warning students to stay away from the windows.
"I went upstairs at that point to find a friend and looked out the window to see police with guns standing over two young guys, who looked like they were in their twenties," she said.
A duty manager working near the campus told BBC radio that police had dealt with the situation "very calmly". He said that he saw the "evacuation of the suspects, and then police dispersed the small crowd that had gathered".
Two students were in the university library when the arrests took place and said a "distressed voice" came over the tannoy asking others to stay away from the windows for their own safety.
One, named as Craig, told the BBC: "There was shouting by the police telling them [the suspects] to get on the floor. Everybody was panicking."
Another witness, Nicholas Higgins, told Sky News that security officers had told students to stay away from windows because of fears that there might be a bomb. "I saw the lads [being arrested] lying on the floor," he said. "They were surrounded by police. The police had guns with them."
The arrests were due to happen in several days' time, but because of the leak were carried out in daylight, in direct contravention of the usual practice of arresting people while they sleep.
Two of those arrested are believed to be British citizens, another two are naturalised but born in Pakistan.
Britain's threat level today remained unchanged at severe general, meaning that officials believed that there was a high risk of attack.
Owen Bowcott and Vikram Dodd | April 8, 2009
Counter-terrorist police arrested 10 young men across the north-west tonight in an operation hastily brought forward following an embarrassing security leak by a senior Scotland Yard commander.
The men, detained at John Moores University in Liverpool, an internet cafe and a house in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester, as well as at addresses in Lancashire, are suspected of involvement in an al-Qaida plot aimed at attacking the UK.
At least one is believed to be a student, the others were born in Pakistan.
The arrests were triggered after Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick, head of Scotland Yard's specialist operations wing, was photographed this morning clutching sensitive documents as he arrived in Downing Street. Clearly visible on top of a large bundle of papers under his arm was a white document marked "secret" that carried an outline for briefing on a current counter-terrorism operation. He was on his way to attend a cabinet security committee.
Realising the existence of the photos of the document – which included the names of several senior officers, sensitive locations and details about the nature of the overseas threat – a "D notice" was imposed by the government to restrict the media from revealing the contents of the picture.
Quick had been due to meet Gordon Brown and the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, to discuss police reform. He was also addressing the meeting in his role as lead for counter-terrorism and for the Association of Chief Police Officers.
Tonight Quick apologised to the Metropolitan commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Assistant Commissioner Quick accepts he made a mistake on leaving a sensitive document on open view and deeply regrets it. He has apologised to the commissioner and colleagues."
The arrests were led by Greater Manchester police, the force which coordinates anti-terrorist operations in the region. "Ten men have been arrested as part of a counter-terrorism operation across the north-west of England," a statement from the force said. "Officers from the North West Counter-Terrorism Unit, supported by Merseyside police, Greater Manchester police and Lancashire constabulary, carried out a series of raids."
According to initial accounts a taser stun gun was used by armed police to subdue some of the suspects who were arrested at John Moores University. Ruth Jones, a third-year student at the university, told the Guardian that she was preparing to leave for the day when an announcement was made over the tannoy system warning students to stay away from the windows.
"I went upstairs at that point to find a friend and looked out the window to see police with guns standing over two young guys, who looked like they were in their twenties," she said.
A duty manager working near the campus told BBC radio that police had dealt with the situation "very calmly". He said that he saw the "evacuation of the suspects, and then police dispersed the small crowd that had gathered".
Two students were in the university library when the arrests took place and said a "distressed voice" came over the tannoy asking others to stay away from the windows for their own safety.
One, named as Craig, told the BBC: "There was shouting by the police telling them [the suspects] to get on the floor. Everybody was panicking."
Another witness, Nicholas Higgins, told Sky News that security officers had told students to stay away from windows because of fears that there might be a bomb. "I saw the lads [being arrested] lying on the floor," he said. "They were surrounded by police. The police had guns with them."
The arrests were due to happen in several days' time, but because of the leak were carried out in daylight, in direct contravention of the usual practice of arresting people while they sleep.
Two of those arrested are believed to be British citizens, another two are naturalised but born in Pakistan.
Britain's threat level today remained unchanged at severe general, meaning that officials believed that there was a high risk of attack.
Filed under
Bob Quick,
bomb,
Liverpool,
Manchester
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Manchester Evening News : 12 terror suspects arrested
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
12 terror suspects arrested
April 8, 2009
TWELVE men, suspected of links with al Qaida, were arrested after a series of terror raids in Cheetham Hill and other north west addresses prompted by a security blunder by a senior police officer.
It is understood that three address in Cheetham Hill were searched, including one in Galsworthy Avenue and a cybercafe in Cheetham Hill Road. Police also carried out a raid at Liverpool John Moores University, in Wavertree, Liverpool, and in Lancashire.
It is believed tonight's raids were brought forward following a security leak earlier in the day. Britain's most senior counter terrorism police officer, Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick, was caught on camera clutching sensitive documents. He has apologised.
Police sources described the operation as 'significant'. They declined to comment on whether they were connected with any imminent threat.
Cafe
The cafe in the basement of a row of shops on Cheetham Hill Road has a sign outside advertising itself as Cyber Net Cafe and computer repair shop.
Mesu Raza, who lives in a flat above the cafe, said: “I saw police arrest two people and put them in a police van.
“They had handcuffs on, they were Asian men, and the police were armed.
“Two police vans arrived outside the shop and there was more police went round the back. There were many officers and a large number of police vans.”
Galsworthy Avenue
A neighbour who lives next door to a terraced house raided by armed police on Galsworthy Avenue in Cheetham Hill said she thought the men who lived there were from Afghanistan.
Bushra Majid, 33, a housewife, said: “I heard them sometimes in the back yard talking on mobile phones.
“I speak Urdu and they were talking Pashtun, the language of Afghans.
“You can tell between Pakistanis and Afghans and Kurds. Pakistanis and Kurds are whiter and have different style beards. These men were darker with longer beards.”
Shoes
The mother-of-four who has lived next door for seven years, added: “Their house is rented and there is always lots of people coming and going for a few months at a time. There were about six or seven men living there for the last six months.
“Some were aged 45 to 50, others were aged in their 20s. They used to go to the local Al Falah mosque daily. This afternoon I heard a noise at the door and I thought it was the kids playing.
“I opened the door and four or five policemen were on top of a man. They were dragging him along the street and he had no shoes on. They shouted at me, 'Get inside. Get inside.'
“There was a policeman on each corner of the street. They were dressed in black and had machine guns.
“I heard lots of noise inside the house, like people running up and down the stairs.
“There have been lots of terror arrests in Cheetham Hill. You are kind of used to it, but you don't think it will happen next door.”
Machine guns
Billy Mortimer who lives further down Galsworthy Avenue also saw the raid.
He said: “I was just sat watching the TV and I saw a police Range Rover drive up the street, past my house and stop. Then move on, then stop again.
“I got up to have a look and the street was full of armed police with sub machine guns. They had black combat fatigues on.
“I thought it was terrorism straight away. It is a large Asian community and there's been a terror raid further up the street a few years ago.
“They took two men wearing white robes out of the house and ran them up the street, one police on each side, and ran them into the entry where there were even more police. All the street was blocked off by police cars and officers.
“Anyone who went to the door were told to get back inside. It was very fast and very professional.
“After they took them away more police entered wearing gloves and masks and began searching the house.
Safer
His mother, Nellie Mortimer, was given a letter from police explaining a raid had taken place, it stated: “This activity is necessary to protect members of the public.”
Mrs Mortimer added: “This used to be a big Polish and Jewish area, then Asians filtered in. We don't have a problem, everyone gets on and there's never any trouble. I feel safer here than on some estate somewhere.
“Everyone knows each other in the street except that house which is rented so there's always someone coming and going.”
'Call the cops'
Ghouse Mohammed, 28, a student from India studying International Business at Salford University lived next door to the house on Galsworthy Road raided by police.
Mr Mohammed said he had only live there for two months and rarely saw his neighbours.
But a few weeks ago they were having a party and his neighbour came round to complain about the noise.
“He was a guy in his 30s with a big black beard. He said please don't make a noise, children are sleeping inside, otherwise I will call the cops.”
Greater Manchester Police said: "Ten men have been arrested as part of a counter-terrorism operation across the north west of England.
"Officers from the North West Counter-Terrorism Unit supported by Merseyside Police, Greater Manchester Police and Lancashire Constabulary carried out a series of raids within the past hour.
Quick
Mr Quick was filmed clutching sensitive documents as he arrived in Downing Street. Among a large bundle of papers under his arm was a white document clearly marked “secret” and carrying an outline briefing on an ongoing counter-terrorism operation.
The information, which cannot be reported, included the names of several senior officers, locations and details about the nature of the overseas threat.
Mr Quick apologised to Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson tonight following the blunder.
He said he “deeply regretted” leaving the document on show.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Assistant Commissioner Quick accepts he made a mistake on leaving a sensitive document on open view and deeply regrets it. He has apologised to the Commissioner and colleagues.”
The senior officer was due to meet Gordon Brown and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to discuss police reform.
It is not the first time Mr Quick has become embroiled in controversy. Last December he apologised for an outburst in which he accused senior Conservatives of leaking a story about his wife's business interests.
The stories followed hot on the heels of his involvement in overseeing the arrest of shadow immigration minister Damian Green as part of a Whitehall leak inquiry.
April 8, 2009
TWELVE men, suspected of links with al Qaida, were arrested after a series of terror raids in Cheetham Hill and other north west addresses prompted by a security blunder by a senior police officer.
It is understood that three address in Cheetham Hill were searched, including one in Galsworthy Avenue and a cybercafe in Cheetham Hill Road. Police also carried out a raid at Liverpool John Moores University, in Wavertree, Liverpool, and in Lancashire.
It is believed tonight's raids were brought forward following a security leak earlier in the day. Britain's most senior counter terrorism police officer, Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick, was caught on camera clutching sensitive documents. He has apologised.
Police sources described the operation as 'significant'. They declined to comment on whether they were connected with any imminent threat.
Cafe
The cafe in the basement of a row of shops on Cheetham Hill Road has a sign outside advertising itself as Cyber Net Cafe and computer repair shop.
Mesu Raza, who lives in a flat above the cafe, said: “I saw police arrest two people and put them in a police van.
“They had handcuffs on, they were Asian men, and the police were armed.
“Two police vans arrived outside the shop and there was more police went round the back. There were many officers and a large number of police vans.”
Galsworthy Avenue
A neighbour who lives next door to a terraced house raided by armed police on Galsworthy Avenue in Cheetham Hill said she thought the men who lived there were from Afghanistan.
Bushra Majid, 33, a housewife, said: “I heard them sometimes in the back yard talking on mobile phones.
“I speak Urdu and they were talking Pashtun, the language of Afghans.
“You can tell between Pakistanis and Afghans and Kurds. Pakistanis and Kurds are whiter and have different style beards. These men were darker with longer beards.”
Shoes
The mother-of-four who has lived next door for seven years, added: “Their house is rented and there is always lots of people coming and going for a few months at a time. There were about six or seven men living there for the last six months.
“Some were aged 45 to 50, others were aged in their 20s. They used to go to the local Al Falah mosque daily. This afternoon I heard a noise at the door and I thought it was the kids playing.
“I opened the door and four or five policemen were on top of a man. They were dragging him along the street and he had no shoes on. They shouted at me, 'Get inside. Get inside.'
“There was a policeman on each corner of the street. They were dressed in black and had machine guns.
“I heard lots of noise inside the house, like people running up and down the stairs.
“There have been lots of terror arrests in Cheetham Hill. You are kind of used to it, but you don't think it will happen next door.”
Machine guns
Billy Mortimer who lives further down Galsworthy Avenue also saw the raid.
He said: “I was just sat watching the TV and I saw a police Range Rover drive up the street, past my house and stop. Then move on, then stop again.
“I got up to have a look and the street was full of armed police with sub machine guns. They had black combat fatigues on.
“I thought it was terrorism straight away. It is a large Asian community and there's been a terror raid further up the street a few years ago.
“They took two men wearing white robes out of the house and ran them up the street, one police on each side, and ran them into the entry where there were even more police. All the street was blocked off by police cars and officers.
“Anyone who went to the door were told to get back inside. It was very fast and very professional.
“After they took them away more police entered wearing gloves and masks and began searching the house.
Safer
His mother, Nellie Mortimer, was given a letter from police explaining a raid had taken place, it stated: “This activity is necessary to protect members of the public.”
Mrs Mortimer added: “This used to be a big Polish and Jewish area, then Asians filtered in. We don't have a problem, everyone gets on and there's never any trouble. I feel safer here than on some estate somewhere.
“Everyone knows each other in the street except that house which is rented so there's always someone coming and going.”
'Call the cops'
Ghouse Mohammed, 28, a student from India studying International Business at Salford University lived next door to the house on Galsworthy Road raided by police.
Mr Mohammed said he had only live there for two months and rarely saw his neighbours.
But a few weeks ago they were having a party and his neighbour came round to complain about the noise.
“He was a guy in his 30s with a big black beard. He said please don't make a noise, children are sleeping inside, otherwise I will call the cops.”
Greater Manchester Police said: "Ten men have been arrested as part of a counter-terrorism operation across the north west of England.
"Officers from the North West Counter-Terrorism Unit supported by Merseyside Police, Greater Manchester Police and Lancashire Constabulary carried out a series of raids within the past hour.
Quick
Mr Quick was filmed clutching sensitive documents as he arrived in Downing Street. Among a large bundle of papers under his arm was a white document clearly marked “secret” and carrying an outline briefing on an ongoing counter-terrorism operation.
The information, which cannot be reported, included the names of several senior officers, locations and details about the nature of the overseas threat.
Mr Quick apologised to Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson tonight following the blunder.
He said he “deeply regretted” leaving the document on show.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Assistant Commissioner Quick accepts he made a mistake on leaving a sensitive document on open view and deeply regrets it. He has apologised to the Commissioner and colleagues.”
The senior officer was due to meet Gordon Brown and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to discuss police reform.
It is not the first time Mr Quick has become embroiled in controversy. Last December he apologised for an outburst in which he accused senior Conservatives of leaking a story about his wife's business interests.
The stories followed hot on the heels of his involvement in overseeing the arrest of shadow immigration minister Damian Green as part of a Whitehall leak inquiry.
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ABC : Ooops! Blunder by Scotland Yard Official Compromises Terror Investigation
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Ooops! Blunder by Scotland Yard Official Compromises Terror Investigation
Top Counter-Terrorism Cop Accidentally Reveals Confidential Documents
By RHONDA SCHWARTZ | April 8, 2009
An embarrassing blunder by a top British counter-terrorism official, who was photographed this morning carrying a top secret document in plain view, caused an uproar in England today as authorities rushed to round up suspects in a now compromised major terrorism investigation.
The BBC and other British news outlets published photographs of Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick as he was heading to a meeting at 10 Downing Street, in which he can be seen carrying a document labeled "Secret" and which contained details about an upcoming terrorist operation.
Twelve men were arrested in raids involving several hundred officers, according to the Greater Manchester Police, who were also conducting searches at eight locations.
"Although the operation is ongoing, this phase is still in its very early stages, so the information we can release about it is limited," said Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Porter, head of the North West CTU.
At least ten suspects were later hastily rounded up and arrested in raids across Northwest England, according to the BBC.
According to the British newspaper "The Telegraph" the exposed "briefing note" contained details of the locations and manner of the intended arrests, names of senior officers in charge of the operation and the "media strategy" once the suspects were rounded up.
British defense press officials sent an urgent note to all major British media alerting them "a media agency may be offering a photograph which contains highly sensitive information about a current counter-terrorist operation" and urging them not to publish details of the operation without seeking "advice", but the damage was done.
A Scotland Yard spokesman later told reporters the top counter terrorism official had apologized to his colleagues.
"Assistant Commissioner Quick accepts he made a mistake on leaving a sensitive document in open view and deeply regrets it."
Top Counter-Terrorism Cop Accidentally Reveals Confidential Documents
By RHONDA SCHWARTZ | April 8, 2009
An embarrassing blunder by a top British counter-terrorism official, who was photographed this morning carrying a top secret document in plain view, caused an uproar in England today as authorities rushed to round up suspects in a now compromised major terrorism investigation.
The BBC and other British news outlets published photographs of Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick as he was heading to a meeting at 10 Downing Street, in which he can be seen carrying a document labeled "Secret" and which contained details about an upcoming terrorist operation.
Twelve men were arrested in raids involving several hundred officers, according to the Greater Manchester Police, who were also conducting searches at eight locations.
"Although the operation is ongoing, this phase is still in its very early stages, so the information we can release about it is limited," said Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Porter, head of the North West CTU.
At least ten suspects were later hastily rounded up and arrested in raids across Northwest England, according to the BBC.
According to the British newspaper "The Telegraph" the exposed "briefing note" contained details of the locations and manner of the intended arrests, names of senior officers in charge of the operation and the "media strategy" once the suspects were rounded up.
British defense press officials sent an urgent note to all major British media alerting them "a media agency may be offering a photograph which contains highly sensitive information about a current counter-terrorist operation" and urging them not to publish details of the operation without seeking "advice", but the damage was done.
A Scotland Yard spokesman later told reporters the top counter terrorism official had apologized to his colleagues.
"Assistant Commissioner Quick accepts he made a mistake on leaving a sensitive document in open view and deeply regrets it."
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BBC : Terror raids follow files blunder
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Terror raids follow files blunder
April 8, 2009
Twelve men have been arrested in the north west of England after Britain's most senior counter-terrorism police officer sparked a security alert.
Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick said he "deeply regretted" revealing a secret document to photographers when he arrived for a briefing at No 10.
The document, clearly marked "secret", carried an outline briefing on an ongoing counter-terrorism operation.
The 12 suspects were later arrested at locations across north-west England.
It is understood raids took place at 10 addresses sooner than planned due to the documents being revealed.
Opposition MPs criticised Mr Quick, with the Liberal Democrats describing him as "accident prone" and the Conservatives condemning his "very alarming" lapse of judgement.
But former Labour Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said it would be wrong for such an experienced officer to resign "for holding a piece of paper the wrong way".
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith made no comment about the officer's mistake. Instead, she praised police for their professionalism.
"The decision to take such action was an operational matter for the police and the security service," she said, adding that she and the Prime Minister had been kept informed of developments.
Some hours after the Downing Street incident, armed officers from the North West Counter-Terrorism Unit arrested a man outside the main library at Liverpool John Moores University.
Students said they heard police shouting at two suspects as they were advised over the library loudspeaker to stay away from the windows for their own safety.
Journalism student Daniel Taylor said: "I saw a man on the floor. Police were shouting at him and one of the officers had what looked like a machine gun pointed right into his head."
Police wearing blue plastic gloves were searching the man, along with a second man nearby, and both appeared to be "ordinary students", Mr Taylor said.
Ten of those arrested are Pakistan-born nationals on student visas and one is a UK-born British national.
Their precise ages are not known but range between a youth in his mid-to-late teens and a 41-year-old man.
Greater Manchester Police said several hundred officers were involved in the operation, including armed officers during some of the arrests.
Five addresses in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester, including an internet cafe, are being searched.
Three premises are being searched in Merseyside, plus a guest house in Clitheroe, Lancashire.
Two men are understood to have been arrested at a Homebase DIY store in Clitheroe, where dozens of police officers carried out a raid.
In Cheetham Hill, witnesses described two men being taken from the cafe after police arrived.
Mesu Raza, who lives in the flat above, said: "I saw police arrest two people and put them in a police van. They had handcuffs on, they were Asian men, and the police were armed."
The counter-terrorism officers were assisted by officers from the Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Lancashire police forces.
Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Porter, head of the North West CTU said: "Today's action is part of a continuing investigation and we have acted on intelligence received.
"This phase is still in its very early stages, so the information we can release about it is limited."
Earlier on Wednesday press photographers in Downing Street pictured Mr Quick clutching a white document marked "secret" and containing the names of several senior officers, locations and details about the nature of the overseas threat.
Details of the information revealed cannot be reported.
Mr Quick was attending the meeting in his role as lead for counter terrorism and for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo).
On Wednesday evening he apologised to Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson for the error.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Assistant Commissioner Quick accepts he made a mistake on leaving a sensitive document on open view and deeply regrets it."
Shadow home secretary Chris Grayling said Mr Quick's judgement had been called into question.
"This was highly sensitive information that should not have been carried under an arm in front of a line of photographers," he added.
Secrets revealed
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said: "Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick seems to be increasingly accident prone which is potentially dangerous given the serious responsibilities of his role."
Ken Livingstone said: "The idea that we should offer up the person who's at the head of our counter terrorism, with years of experience - a dedicated public servant, for one mistake of holding a piece of paper the wrong way - well, al-Qaeda will be delighted."
Mr Quick, once seen as a "safe pair of hands" by Scotland Yard colleagues, ordered the controversial arrest of senior Tory MP Damian Green over alleged security leaks.
Last December, he accused the Conservatives of involvement in newspaper stories about his wife's hire car business.
It is not the first time secret information has been revealed to journalists who habitually stand outside Downing Street.
Last year housing minister Caroline Flint inadvertently showed off secret Cabinet briefing notes revealing a steep projected fall in UK house prices.
April 8, 2009
Twelve men have been arrested in the north west of England after Britain's most senior counter-terrorism police officer sparked a security alert.
Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick said he "deeply regretted" revealing a secret document to photographers when he arrived for a briefing at No 10.
The document, clearly marked "secret", carried an outline briefing on an ongoing counter-terrorism operation.
The 12 suspects were later arrested at locations across north-west England.
It is understood raids took place at 10 addresses sooner than planned due to the documents being revealed.
Opposition MPs criticised Mr Quick, with the Liberal Democrats describing him as "accident prone" and the Conservatives condemning his "very alarming" lapse of judgement.
But former Labour Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said it would be wrong for such an experienced officer to resign "for holding a piece of paper the wrong way".
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith made no comment about the officer's mistake. Instead, she praised police for their professionalism.
"The decision to take such action was an operational matter for the police and the security service," she said, adding that she and the Prime Minister had been kept informed of developments.
Some hours after the Downing Street incident, armed officers from the North West Counter-Terrorism Unit arrested a man outside the main library at Liverpool John Moores University.
Students said they heard police shouting at two suspects as they were advised over the library loudspeaker to stay away from the windows for their own safety.
Journalism student Daniel Taylor said: "I saw a man on the floor. Police were shouting at him and one of the officers had what looked like a machine gun pointed right into his head."
Police wearing blue plastic gloves were searching the man, along with a second man nearby, and both appeared to be "ordinary students", Mr Taylor said.
Ten of those arrested are Pakistan-born nationals on student visas and one is a UK-born British national.
Their precise ages are not known but range between a youth in his mid-to-late teens and a 41-year-old man.
Greater Manchester Police said several hundred officers were involved in the operation, including armed officers during some of the arrests.
Five addresses in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester, including an internet cafe, are being searched.
Three premises are being searched in Merseyside, plus a guest house in Clitheroe, Lancashire.
Two men are understood to have been arrested at a Homebase DIY store in Clitheroe, where dozens of police officers carried out a raid.
In Cheetham Hill, witnesses described two men being taken from the cafe after police arrived.
Mesu Raza, who lives in the flat above, said: "I saw police arrest two people and put them in a police van. They had handcuffs on, they were Asian men, and the police were armed."
The counter-terrorism officers were assisted by officers from the Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Lancashire police forces.
Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Porter, head of the North West CTU said: "Today's action is part of a continuing investigation and we have acted on intelligence received.
"This phase is still in its very early stages, so the information we can release about it is limited."
Earlier on Wednesday press photographers in Downing Street pictured Mr Quick clutching a white document marked "secret" and containing the names of several senior officers, locations and details about the nature of the overseas threat.
Details of the information revealed cannot be reported.
Mr Quick was attending the meeting in his role as lead for counter terrorism and for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo).
On Wednesday evening he apologised to Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson for the error.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Assistant Commissioner Quick accepts he made a mistake on leaving a sensitive document on open view and deeply regrets it."
Shadow home secretary Chris Grayling said Mr Quick's judgement had been called into question.
"This was highly sensitive information that should not have been carried under an arm in front of a line of photographers," he added.
Secrets revealed
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said: "Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick seems to be increasingly accident prone which is potentially dangerous given the serious responsibilities of his role."
Ken Livingstone said: "The idea that we should offer up the person who's at the head of our counter terrorism, with years of experience - a dedicated public servant, for one mistake of holding a piece of paper the wrong way - well, al-Qaeda will be delighted."
Mr Quick, once seen as a "safe pair of hands" by Scotland Yard colleagues, ordered the controversial arrest of senior Tory MP Damian Green over alleged security leaks.
Last December, he accused the Conservatives of involvement in newspaper stories about his wife's hire car business.
It is not the first time secret information has been revealed to journalists who habitually stand outside Downing Street.
Last year housing minister Caroline Flint inadvertently showed off secret Cabinet briefing notes revealing a steep projected fall in UK house prices.
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Guardian : Ian Tomlinson death: New video footage from G20 protests gives fresh angle on attack
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Ian Tomlinson death: New video footage from G20 protests gives fresh angle on attack
Channel 4 News releases tape recovered from damaged camera showing officer hitting out at Tomlinson with baton
Footage courtesy of ITN/Channel 4 News
[Link to video]
More video: Watch the Guardian's footage of the attack on Ian Tomlinson
Channel 4 News releases tape recovered from damaged camera showing officer hitting out at Tomlinson with baton
Footage courtesy of ITN/Channel 4 News
[Link to video]
More video: Watch the Guardian's footage of the attack on Ian Tomlinson
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Guardian : G20 death: 41 seconds of video that raise serious questions for police
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
G20 death: 41 seconds of video that raise serious questions for police
• Lawyers say footage of Ian Tomlinson may lead to charges
• Fears crucial information may have been overlooked
Afua Hirsch, legal affairs correspondent | April 8, 2009
The Guardian obtained this footage of Ian Tomlinson at a G20 protest in London, shortly before he died. It shows Tomlinson, who was not part of the demonstration, being assaulted from behind and pushed to the ground by baton-wielding police
[Link to this video]
The investigation into the death of Ian Tomlinson will inevitably lead to an independent inquiry, lawyers say. And they believe new evidence obtained by the Guardian means the case must be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider whether criminal charges should be brought against any police officers.
Tomlinson's death during the G20 protest in the City of London is already under investigation. But the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is responsible for considering serious incidents or allegations of misconduct, has said that it is not yet carrying out its own inquiry but managing one being undertaken by the City of London police.
"If there are allegations that the death was caused or contributed to by unlawful actions of the police, then a police investigation would not be satisfactory," said Harriet Wistrich of Birnberg Peirce, the solicitors who represented the family of Jean Charles de Menezes.
"The IPCC should clearly run its own independent investigation which could lead to a referral of the case to the Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether to bring a criminal prosecution against the officers.
"If there is evidence of an assault, even if there is evidence to suggest there was a lawful defence to the assault, then it has got to be referred to the CPS."
The conduct of investigations into fatal police incidents has been under scrutiny since the death of De Menezes, who was shot by police at Stockwell tube station in 2005. In that case, an IPCC report identified serious weaknesses in the Metropolitan police's handling of critical information.
Experts fear that crucial evidence from the scene of Tomlinson's death may have been overlooked. "Speed is of the essence," Nick Bowen, a barrister, said. "It is absolutely vital that the IPCC approach every investigation of this nature with a completely open mind. In the De Menezes case, they appear to have leapt to certain conclusions presumably on the basis of information that was provided to them by the police, which they should have been sceptical about."
"If an IPCC investigation is going to be effective, then its investigators should be at the scene of the incident ensuring that evidence is preserved at the very earliest opportunity," said Jules Carey of Tuckers solicitors, who has handled a number of police complaint cases. "Cases are solved by effective early action and in this case the golden hour is long passed."
Critics say recent decisions not to prosecute officers, including the De Menezes case where the CPS decided not to charge individual officers despite the fact that the inquest jury disbelieved key parts of the officers' accounts, suggest a prosecution in the latest instance is unlikely.
Figures obtained by the charity Inquest show that in cases where an inquest has delivered a verdict of unlawful killing, there have been only seven prosecutions of officers since 1990. "If you look at the record of cases where somebody's death has been caused by actions of the police, there have been hardly any prosecutions brought," Wistrich said. "The record is really, really poor.
Questions are also being asked about the conduct of the police in the aftermath of the investigation, when contact between Tomlinson and the police - now clearly shown on the footage obtained by the Guardian - was strenuously denied.
"It is likely that there will be evidential difficulties because the incident was not promptly, immediately and independently investigated," Bowen said. "Information about the identification of the officers involved and crucial evidence relating to who may have struck Mr Tomlinson may have been lost."
As well as the potential for losing time-sensitive evidence, concerns have been raised that initial responses denying Tomlinson's contact with the police may have been misleading.
"An IPCC report on the de Menezes case was critical of what they identified as serious weaknesses by the Metropolitan police in the handling of critical information in the immediate aftermath of the Stockwell shooting," Carey said.
• Lawyers say footage of Ian Tomlinson may lead to charges
• Fears crucial information may have been overlooked
Afua Hirsch, legal affairs correspondent | April 8, 2009
The Guardian obtained this footage of Ian Tomlinson at a G20 protest in London, shortly before he died. It shows Tomlinson, who was not part of the demonstration, being assaulted from behind and pushed to the ground by baton-wielding police
[Link to this video]
The investigation into the death of Ian Tomlinson will inevitably lead to an independent inquiry, lawyers say. And they believe new evidence obtained by the Guardian means the case must be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider whether criminal charges should be brought against any police officers.
Tomlinson's death during the G20 protest in the City of London is already under investigation. But the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is responsible for considering serious incidents or allegations of misconduct, has said that it is not yet carrying out its own inquiry but managing one being undertaken by the City of London police.
"If there are allegations that the death was caused or contributed to by unlawful actions of the police, then a police investigation would not be satisfactory," said Harriet Wistrich of Birnberg Peirce, the solicitors who represented the family of Jean Charles de Menezes.
"The IPCC should clearly run its own independent investigation which could lead to a referral of the case to the Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether to bring a criminal prosecution against the officers.
"If there is evidence of an assault, even if there is evidence to suggest there was a lawful defence to the assault, then it has got to be referred to the CPS."
The conduct of investigations into fatal police incidents has been under scrutiny since the death of De Menezes, who was shot by police at Stockwell tube station in 2005. In that case, an IPCC report identified serious weaknesses in the Metropolitan police's handling of critical information.
Experts fear that crucial evidence from the scene of Tomlinson's death may have been overlooked. "Speed is of the essence," Nick Bowen, a barrister, said. "It is absolutely vital that the IPCC approach every investigation of this nature with a completely open mind. In the De Menezes case, they appear to have leapt to certain conclusions presumably on the basis of information that was provided to them by the police, which they should have been sceptical about."
"If an IPCC investigation is going to be effective, then its investigators should be at the scene of the incident ensuring that evidence is preserved at the very earliest opportunity," said Jules Carey of Tuckers solicitors, who has handled a number of police complaint cases. "Cases are solved by effective early action and in this case the golden hour is long passed."
Critics say recent decisions not to prosecute officers, including the De Menezes case where the CPS decided not to charge individual officers despite the fact that the inquest jury disbelieved key parts of the officers' accounts, suggest a prosecution in the latest instance is unlikely.
Figures obtained by the charity Inquest show that in cases where an inquest has delivered a verdict of unlawful killing, there have been only seven prosecutions of officers since 1990. "If you look at the record of cases where somebody's death has been caused by actions of the police, there have been hardly any prosecutions brought," Wistrich said. "The record is really, really poor.
Questions are also being asked about the conduct of the police in the aftermath of the investigation, when contact between Tomlinson and the police - now clearly shown on the footage obtained by the Guardian - was strenuously denied.
"It is likely that there will be evidential difficulties because the incident was not promptly, immediately and independently investigated," Bowen said. "Information about the identification of the officers involved and crucial evidence relating to who may have struck Mr Tomlinson may have been lost."
As well as the potential for losing time-sensitive evidence, concerns have been raised that initial responses denying Tomlinson's contact with the police may have been misleading.
"An IPCC report on the de Menezes case was critical of what they identified as serious weaknesses by the Metropolitan police in the handling of critical information in the immediate aftermath of the Stockwell shooting," Carey said.
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Guardian : Ian Tomlinson death: G20 witnesses tell of dogs, batons and an attack by police
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Ian Tomlinson death: G20 witnesses tell of dogs, batons and an attack by police
From G20 protesters to journalists to bystanders, those who saw the events leading up to Ian Tomlinson's death speak out
Paul Lewis | April 8, 2009
The Guardian obtained this footage of Ian Tomlinson at a G20 protest in London, shortly before he died. It shows Tomlinson, who was not part of the demonstration, being assaulted from behind and pushed to the ground by baton-wielding police
[Link to this video]
The main protests of the day had ebbed away but hundreds of people were still penned inside a police cordon near the Bank of England around 7pm last Wednesday when newspaper seller Ian Tomlinson started on his journey home through the City. He never made it. What happened in Tomlinson's final half hour before he collapsed and died of a heart attack is now the subject of an inquiry on behalf of the Independent Police Complaints Commission. The Guardian has gathered statements from 15 witnesses who saw Tomlinson to piece together a forensic reconstruction his movements. This directly contradicts the official version of events put out by police in the aftermath of Tomlinson's death. The witnesses accuse police of lashing at protesters and bystanders alike, attacking them with batons, shields and dogs. Officers are alleged to have attacked Tomlinson twice; both times from behind and as he was walking away. Eight witnesses produced photographic evidence, time- and date-stamped, that corroborates their version of events. Three said they saw Tomlinson being assaulted by riot police. Here are their accounts.
A: Marcus Bensasson, 30, photographer, south London
I was taking pictures of police charging protesters and using their batons. It was violent. One charge took people by surprise. They thought they were at a safe distance and then suddenly police - riot police - were charging at them. My photographs show police attacking protesters with batons. One image shows a bystander being shoved in the back with a shield at the very spot Ian Tomlinson collapsed.
B: Dr Justin Meggitt, 40, senior lecturer in religious studies, Cambridge University
I was with the crowd at Cornhill. But when police started coming up I went down the pedestrianised zone, Royal Exchange Buildings, on the Threadneedle Street end.
I saw a couple of occasions when police with batons hit individuals. It wasn't a big row of officers. They seemed to be spread out. There were dogs along the street.
I was pretty disturbed. I didn't expect that kind of violence. So at the time I took pictures and on at least one occasion I went up to the policeman to complain that he appeared to have hit someone, right in front of me, for no apparent reason.
The dog attacks occurred at about 7.10pm, when a police dog, as far as I could see, bit the handler and then bit a man. The man who was bitten was showing people his injuries. I have a photograph. They were very deep gashes in the top of his arm.
Then, as the crowd surged out of Cornhill at around 7.12pm and some people ran down Royal Exchange Buildings, I saw a policeman clubbing somebody. This was a young man - I saw him throw a plastic bottle. The policeman ran at him and clubbed him. He did fall over and then ran away. Then there was another dog attack at 7.16pm. The person was a tall, younger man and the policeman set the dog on him.
And then, soon after that, about 10 seconds afterwards, something happened in front of me where someone was clubbed again. That person was on the ground and they were being hit, at least once. They were on the floor and hit. That struck me as another unprovoked assault. I was really shocked. I know it's difficult policing these things. But these incidents took me by real surprise. It seemed as though individual police officers were taking it out on bystanders for no reason. They seemed extremely pumped up. After that I thought it was unwise to stay in that area because it was extremely violent.
C: Anna Branthwaite, 36, freelance photographer, south London
There had been a situation where a small number of police officers had become outnumbered by protesters in Cornhill, and had retreated into the pedestrian street, Royal Exchange Buildings. It was like, anything could happen right now. Riot officers began to arrive and within minutes the police had regained control around the Threadneedle Street end where I went to stand.
At this point there were probably about 20 officers - some dog handlers, some riot officers. And members of the public - city workers, people watching - were being stopped around the traffic lights although some were being allowed to walk through the pedestrian street that was now relatively clear, with a few protesters still standing around but certainly not a crowd.
The dog handlers began to sweep through the pedestrian street to start forming a police line. A dog barked and I saw one protester was on the floor who managed to get up. That's what drew my attention to that spot. It was then that I noticed Ian Tomlinson, who was walking from Threadneadle Street direction, walking towards Cornhill Street. A riot police officer had already grabbed him and was pushing him.
It wasn't just pushing him - he'd rushed him. He went to the floor and he did actually roll. That was quite noticeable. It was the force of the impact. He bounced on the floor. It was a very forceful knocking-down from behind. The officer hit him twice with a baton when he was lying on the floor.
So it wasn't just that the officer had pushed him - it became an assault. And then the officer picked him up from the back, continued to walk or charge with him, and threw him. He was running and stumbling. He didn't turn and confront the officer or anything like that.
Tomlinson was not confronting a police cordon. He was not in a crowd of protesters being corralled by police. He was walking on the street away from the police with barely anyone around him when he was attacked from behind.
I think the officers were so fired up, it had been very intimidating for them to be outnumbered. When they came back I think this one officer just rushed in and lashed out. And it happened to be Mr Tomlinson. The next time I saw Ian Tomlinson was when he had collapsed about 50 yards down around the corner and surrounded by a group of police officers.
D: Kezia Rolfe, 27, NGO researcher, east London
I saw a man approaching the police line from my right. He was quite tall with a beer belly and short hair. I later recognised him from a picture. He was on his own. He walked up to the police across the Royal Exchange Building, towards the centre left of their line.
He did not appear drunk - he was walking normally. I saw him suddenly fall back as though flung down with force. It was as though he had been spun. He fell and hit the top of his head hard. I was shocked. He lay on the ground for around 30 seconds without moving before a protester helped him up. The police did not help him at all.
E: Amiri Howe, 24, actor/musician, west London
We stood on a ledge near Cornhill. Before he got hit, at the beginning of the whole thing - we were watching the protesters at the Bank of England. Police got into a couple of scuffles with people. They were pushing the line forward, pushing the line forward.
We saw a couple of scuffles happening. Our friends were inside trying to get out - no water, no food, we wanted to get them out. Police started coming forward. Missiles started to be thrown. They came in with their batons, stamping.
The guy [Tomlinson] was stood there. He got hit near the head with a baton. It was like a pencil, he just fell to the floor and hit his head again when he hit the floor. When he got hit, police were coming forwards. I saw him fall so I moved back. But I saw him on the floor and someone picking him up - that's when I took the picture.
If there was CCTV then they will see exactly what happened - which is exactly what I said happened. You see in that corner where the dogs came up, it was proper chaos. After that, I was taking pictures of police and the dog line, and a girl came and said, 'this guy needs help'. He was further back down the road. It was the same guy that got hit. He was wearing the exact same stuff.
F: Investment fund manager, 38, from New York who filmed the attack
The primary reason for me coming forward is that it was clear the family weren't getting any answers. I saw him wandering around [before he was attacked]. He was just taking a look. He just got too close to the police line. [When he was attacked] it was absolutely horrible. I didn't put two and two together. Then I looked at the footage again and thought 'my God, it's the man they pushed to the ground'. It must be him it was minutes later who collapsed.
G: Jasper Jackson, 23, journalist, Paddington
There was an altercation with a protester who had been doing graffiti. He was dragged by police and smashed his head against the door. After a bit of scuffling they withdrew down a side street. The police then brought in a set of dogs and blocked Royal Exchange Buildings. The picture I have of him is of him stumbling in front of the protesters and in front of the police dogs. He looked dazed, a glazed look on his face.
Later, someone shouted to the police with a loudhailer: there's a casualty down - can we get a medic? The police took this seriously. Out of an alley came medics and policemen in riot gear.
There were a couple of people throwing bottles in the direction. A bottle smashed near a Starbucks. Protesters told them to stop it. In fact, threatening to kill other protesters if they did anything to disrupt the treatment.
H: Press photographer 1, anonymous
There were two sets of police and a sort of standoff. Those police started moving forward to try and push the protesters back. If you see the pictures you can see exactly what they were doing. The batons were up, they were moving forward, they were using their shields.
I saw this guy on the ground. I photographed him. I saw there was something seriously wrong with him when I got the first picture of his face. There was a couple of police around him and the protesters were beginning to throw things. Then the protesters were saying, 'stop, there's one of ours down there'.
I: Press photographer 2, anonymous
I was at the police line at Cornhill at the Bank of England. We were being pushed back by the police line. The police were coming forward to cajole people. They were using batons. I moved back and as I was moving back towards Bishopsgate I saw this guy on his back being attended to. A missile was thrown in the direction. But I wouldn't like to say it was intended at police. It sort of landed in the vicinity.
J: Daniel MacPhee, 24, social support worker, Kingston
If the truth be that he died of a heart attack it's not surprising really because it felt like people were running for their lives. I looked over to my left and there was a man lying in the street. Someone shouted out, 'he fell down, over there' - as if to say that he fell down before somehow.
I rang 999. I was on the phone. They said, 'is he breathing?' Then they asked me to put him on his back. So with the help of the person I was with, we managed to get him on to his back.
Not long after that a group of four or five riot police came running out from the crowd and surrounded him. The ambulancewoman on the phone said to me, 'can you pass me to the police?' I said, 'I've got the ambulance on the phone, do you want to speak to them?' They just ignored me.
When the police interviewed me, I said that I saw no violence toward this individual, which I didn't. And afterwards the police said it would take a very brave coroner to proclaim that the cause of death was because he was beaten up, or because of the protests that day. They said it would take a brave coroner to suggest the cause of death was because of any wrongdoing by the police.
Initially I just kind of forgot about it. But it was later on in the day that I thought, why would someone say it would take a brave coroner? If the facts are there.
K: Callum Holden-Cooper, 20, student
He came from the direction of the police and he just collapsed.
He didn't have any blood on his face. He seemed quite out of it. I saw he was breathing. A guy with a loud hailer called out. Four riot police and two medics came around the guy who collapsed. The police line kept moving. The police kept charging forward. We kept thinking we were going to get killed.
L: Elias Stoakes, 25, student, Mile End
There were two missiles that I remember, thrown from the back. The police claim that protesters impeded them from treating him because of a barrage of missiles was completely untrue. Protesters from the crowd wanted to help him. The crowd were extremely angry at people who had thrown missiles. They were mostly concerned about police charging. Earlier on the same street they hit me with batons over my thigh and calf. They were saying things like, 'That got you up. Now fuck off'. I still have the bruises. That was because I was stopping to help someone who hurt their head and they came at me. They pressed the pressure point under my ear to make me move.
M: Medical student, anonymous
We were all running - he was running near me. I probably only noticed him just before he fell. Police were chasing us with their batons out.
Then he fell to the floor. A few other people went over to him as well. Then the police charged everyone again. They were all charging towards us. He was lying with his feet toward the police. I stood in the way with my arms out to stop people from running into him. I said: there's a man down. The people ran around me.
The person on the phone to the ambulance told the police the ambulance service wanted to speak to them. He held the phone out to the police officer. The police officer held the phone and said, 'no, move along, we're dealing with this'.
N: Natalie Langford, 21, student from London
We had been by the police line shouting 'let them out' because of the people stuck inside. It was peaceful at first. The police were saying: move back, move back, and surging forward.
Some students were sitting down on the floor - I was as well. They came in using batons against us. Police came in and began hitting people with batons. My friend got hit quite badly. It was a minute after that we saw him [Ian Tomlinson] stumbling about. He just seemed really disorientated and stumbling. Then he collapsed.
O: Peter Apps, 20, law student, east London
He was outside a shop. I think it was a glass-fronted shop. When I first saw him he was stumbling along the pavement on the left-hand side of the road. He was disorientated and stumbling and collided with the wall that was jutting out of a shop, and then fell over. Someone had called an ambulance. When protesters were giving him first aid, I looked up and I saw a lot of protesters running toward me and the police charging toward them with their batons out.
From G20 protesters to journalists to bystanders, those who saw the events leading up to Ian Tomlinson's death speak out
Paul Lewis | April 8, 2009
The Guardian obtained this footage of Ian Tomlinson at a G20 protest in London, shortly before he died. It shows Tomlinson, who was not part of the demonstration, being assaulted from behind and pushed to the ground by baton-wielding police
[Link to this video]
The main protests of the day had ebbed away but hundreds of people were still penned inside a police cordon near the Bank of England around 7pm last Wednesday when newspaper seller Ian Tomlinson started on his journey home through the City. He never made it. What happened in Tomlinson's final half hour before he collapsed and died of a heart attack is now the subject of an inquiry on behalf of the Independent Police Complaints Commission. The Guardian has gathered statements from 15 witnesses who saw Tomlinson to piece together a forensic reconstruction his movements. This directly contradicts the official version of events put out by police in the aftermath of Tomlinson's death. The witnesses accuse police of lashing at protesters and bystanders alike, attacking them with batons, shields and dogs. Officers are alleged to have attacked Tomlinson twice; both times from behind and as he was walking away. Eight witnesses produced photographic evidence, time- and date-stamped, that corroborates their version of events. Three said they saw Tomlinson being assaulted by riot police. Here are their accounts.
A: Marcus Bensasson, 30, photographer, south London
I was taking pictures of police charging protesters and using their batons. It was violent. One charge took people by surprise. They thought they were at a safe distance and then suddenly police - riot police - were charging at them. My photographs show police attacking protesters with batons. One image shows a bystander being shoved in the back with a shield at the very spot Ian Tomlinson collapsed.
B: Dr Justin Meggitt, 40, senior lecturer in religious studies, Cambridge University
I was with the crowd at Cornhill. But when police started coming up I went down the pedestrianised zone, Royal Exchange Buildings, on the Threadneedle Street end.
I saw a couple of occasions when police with batons hit individuals. It wasn't a big row of officers. They seemed to be spread out. There were dogs along the street.
I was pretty disturbed. I didn't expect that kind of violence. So at the time I took pictures and on at least one occasion I went up to the policeman to complain that he appeared to have hit someone, right in front of me, for no apparent reason.
The dog attacks occurred at about 7.10pm, when a police dog, as far as I could see, bit the handler and then bit a man. The man who was bitten was showing people his injuries. I have a photograph. They were very deep gashes in the top of his arm.
Then, as the crowd surged out of Cornhill at around 7.12pm and some people ran down Royal Exchange Buildings, I saw a policeman clubbing somebody. This was a young man - I saw him throw a plastic bottle. The policeman ran at him and clubbed him. He did fall over and then ran away. Then there was another dog attack at 7.16pm. The person was a tall, younger man and the policeman set the dog on him.
And then, soon after that, about 10 seconds afterwards, something happened in front of me where someone was clubbed again. That person was on the ground and they were being hit, at least once. They were on the floor and hit. That struck me as another unprovoked assault. I was really shocked. I know it's difficult policing these things. But these incidents took me by real surprise. It seemed as though individual police officers were taking it out on bystanders for no reason. They seemed extremely pumped up. After that I thought it was unwise to stay in that area because it was extremely violent.
C: Anna Branthwaite, 36, freelance photographer, south London
There had been a situation where a small number of police officers had become outnumbered by protesters in Cornhill, and had retreated into the pedestrian street, Royal Exchange Buildings. It was like, anything could happen right now. Riot officers began to arrive and within minutes the police had regained control around the Threadneedle Street end where I went to stand.
At this point there were probably about 20 officers - some dog handlers, some riot officers. And members of the public - city workers, people watching - were being stopped around the traffic lights although some were being allowed to walk through the pedestrian street that was now relatively clear, with a few protesters still standing around but certainly not a crowd.
The dog handlers began to sweep through the pedestrian street to start forming a police line. A dog barked and I saw one protester was on the floor who managed to get up. That's what drew my attention to that spot. It was then that I noticed Ian Tomlinson, who was walking from Threadneadle Street direction, walking towards Cornhill Street. A riot police officer had already grabbed him and was pushing him.
It wasn't just pushing him - he'd rushed him. He went to the floor and he did actually roll. That was quite noticeable. It was the force of the impact. He bounced on the floor. It was a very forceful knocking-down from behind. The officer hit him twice with a baton when he was lying on the floor.
So it wasn't just that the officer had pushed him - it became an assault. And then the officer picked him up from the back, continued to walk or charge with him, and threw him. He was running and stumbling. He didn't turn and confront the officer or anything like that.
Tomlinson was not confronting a police cordon. He was not in a crowd of protesters being corralled by police. He was walking on the street away from the police with barely anyone around him when he was attacked from behind.
I think the officers were so fired up, it had been very intimidating for them to be outnumbered. When they came back I think this one officer just rushed in and lashed out. And it happened to be Mr Tomlinson. The next time I saw Ian Tomlinson was when he had collapsed about 50 yards down around the corner and surrounded by a group of police officers.
D: Kezia Rolfe, 27, NGO researcher, east London
I saw a man approaching the police line from my right. He was quite tall with a beer belly and short hair. I later recognised him from a picture. He was on his own. He walked up to the police across the Royal Exchange Building, towards the centre left of their line.
He did not appear drunk - he was walking normally. I saw him suddenly fall back as though flung down with force. It was as though he had been spun. He fell and hit the top of his head hard. I was shocked. He lay on the ground for around 30 seconds without moving before a protester helped him up. The police did not help him at all.
E: Amiri Howe, 24, actor/musician, west London
We stood on a ledge near Cornhill. Before he got hit, at the beginning of the whole thing - we were watching the protesters at the Bank of England. Police got into a couple of scuffles with people. They were pushing the line forward, pushing the line forward.
We saw a couple of scuffles happening. Our friends were inside trying to get out - no water, no food, we wanted to get them out. Police started coming forward. Missiles started to be thrown. They came in with their batons, stamping.
The guy [Tomlinson] was stood there. He got hit near the head with a baton. It was like a pencil, he just fell to the floor and hit his head again when he hit the floor. When he got hit, police were coming forwards. I saw him fall so I moved back. But I saw him on the floor and someone picking him up - that's when I took the picture.
If there was CCTV then they will see exactly what happened - which is exactly what I said happened. You see in that corner where the dogs came up, it was proper chaos. After that, I was taking pictures of police and the dog line, and a girl came and said, 'this guy needs help'. He was further back down the road. It was the same guy that got hit. He was wearing the exact same stuff.
F: Investment fund manager, 38, from New York who filmed the attack
The primary reason for me coming forward is that it was clear the family weren't getting any answers. I saw him wandering around [before he was attacked]. He was just taking a look. He just got too close to the police line. [When he was attacked] it was absolutely horrible. I didn't put two and two together. Then I looked at the footage again and thought 'my God, it's the man they pushed to the ground'. It must be him it was minutes later who collapsed.
G: Jasper Jackson, 23, journalist, Paddington
There was an altercation with a protester who had been doing graffiti. He was dragged by police and smashed his head against the door. After a bit of scuffling they withdrew down a side street. The police then brought in a set of dogs and blocked Royal Exchange Buildings. The picture I have of him is of him stumbling in front of the protesters and in front of the police dogs. He looked dazed, a glazed look on his face.
Later, someone shouted to the police with a loudhailer: there's a casualty down - can we get a medic? The police took this seriously. Out of an alley came medics and policemen in riot gear.
There were a couple of people throwing bottles in the direction. A bottle smashed near a Starbucks. Protesters told them to stop it. In fact, threatening to kill other protesters if they did anything to disrupt the treatment.
H: Press photographer 1, anonymous
There were two sets of police and a sort of standoff. Those police started moving forward to try and push the protesters back. If you see the pictures you can see exactly what they were doing. The batons were up, they were moving forward, they were using their shields.
I saw this guy on the ground. I photographed him. I saw there was something seriously wrong with him when I got the first picture of his face. There was a couple of police around him and the protesters were beginning to throw things. Then the protesters were saying, 'stop, there's one of ours down there'.
I: Press photographer 2, anonymous
I was at the police line at Cornhill at the Bank of England. We were being pushed back by the police line. The police were coming forward to cajole people. They were using batons. I moved back and as I was moving back towards Bishopsgate I saw this guy on his back being attended to. A missile was thrown in the direction. But I wouldn't like to say it was intended at police. It sort of landed in the vicinity.
J: Daniel MacPhee, 24, social support worker, Kingston
If the truth be that he died of a heart attack it's not surprising really because it felt like people were running for their lives. I looked over to my left and there was a man lying in the street. Someone shouted out, 'he fell down, over there' - as if to say that he fell down before somehow.
I rang 999. I was on the phone. They said, 'is he breathing?' Then they asked me to put him on his back. So with the help of the person I was with, we managed to get him on to his back.
Not long after that a group of four or five riot police came running out from the crowd and surrounded him. The ambulancewoman on the phone said to me, 'can you pass me to the police?' I said, 'I've got the ambulance on the phone, do you want to speak to them?' They just ignored me.
When the police interviewed me, I said that I saw no violence toward this individual, which I didn't. And afterwards the police said it would take a very brave coroner to proclaim that the cause of death was because he was beaten up, or because of the protests that day. They said it would take a brave coroner to suggest the cause of death was because of any wrongdoing by the police.
Initially I just kind of forgot about it. But it was later on in the day that I thought, why would someone say it would take a brave coroner? If the facts are there.
K: Callum Holden-Cooper, 20, student
He came from the direction of the police and he just collapsed.
He didn't have any blood on his face. He seemed quite out of it. I saw he was breathing. A guy with a loud hailer called out. Four riot police and two medics came around the guy who collapsed. The police line kept moving. The police kept charging forward. We kept thinking we were going to get killed.
L: Elias Stoakes, 25, student, Mile End
There were two missiles that I remember, thrown from the back. The police claim that protesters impeded them from treating him because of a barrage of missiles was completely untrue. Protesters from the crowd wanted to help him. The crowd were extremely angry at people who had thrown missiles. They were mostly concerned about police charging. Earlier on the same street they hit me with batons over my thigh and calf. They were saying things like, 'That got you up. Now fuck off'. I still have the bruises. That was because I was stopping to help someone who hurt their head and they came at me. They pressed the pressure point under my ear to make me move.
M: Medical student, anonymous
We were all running - he was running near me. I probably only noticed him just before he fell. Police were chasing us with their batons out.
Then he fell to the floor. A few other people went over to him as well. Then the police charged everyone again. They were all charging towards us. He was lying with his feet toward the police. I stood in the way with my arms out to stop people from running into him. I said: there's a man down. The people ran around me.
The person on the phone to the ambulance told the police the ambulance service wanted to speak to them. He held the phone out to the police officer. The police officer held the phone and said, 'no, move along, we're dealing with this'.
N: Natalie Langford, 21, student from London
We had been by the police line shouting 'let them out' because of the people stuck inside. It was peaceful at first. The police were saying: move back, move back, and surging forward.
Some students were sitting down on the floor - I was as well. They came in using batons against us. Police came in and began hitting people with batons. My friend got hit quite badly. It was a minute after that we saw him [Ian Tomlinson] stumbling about. He just seemed really disorientated and stumbling. Then he collapsed.
O: Peter Apps, 20, law student, east London
He was outside a shop. I think it was a glass-fronted shop. When I first saw him he was stumbling along the pavement on the left-hand side of the road. He was disorientated and stumbling and collided with the wall that was jutting out of a shop, and then fell over. Someone had called an ambulance. When protesters were giving him first aid, I looked up and I saw a lot of protesters running toward me and the police charging toward them with their batons out.
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by Winter Patriot
on Wednesday, April 08, 2009 |
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Guardian : G20 fatality: How police view of Ian Tomlinson death changed
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
G20 fatality: How police view of Ian Tomlinson death changed
April 8, 2009
The Guardian obtained this footage of Ian Tomlinson at a G20 protest in London, shortly before he died. It shows Tomlinson, who was not part of the demonstration, being assaulted from behind and pushed to the ground by baton-wielding police
[Link to this video]
The official account of the events surrounding the death of Ian Tomlinson has altered sharply in the past week.
He collapsed and died shortly after 7.30pm last Wednesday, when police were still corralling protesters in a cordon near the Bank of England. A statement issued by the Met at 11.36pm described how police were told by a member of the public that a man had collapsed. Two police medics examined him and called for a London ambulance crew, but the statement said police decided to move Tomlinson, who had stopped breathing, because protesters were throwing missiles at them.
The statement made no mention of any prior police contact with Tomlinson. The following day, journalists were briefed by police that he was not a protester, had not been involved with police or been in a crush and had died of natural causes outside of the police cordon.
Independent witnesses subsequently challenged the account, maintaining that only one bottle was thrown and that one protester used a loudhailer making it clear that a man had been injured and was being assisted by police and ambulance.
The following day the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) confirmed it had received a referral from the police and would make a decision about its level of involvement after considering CCTV footage and post-mortem results. This week, the IPCC confirmed that it would manage an investigation by City of London police into the circumstances of police contact with Tomlinson.
IPCC Commissioner for London, Deborah Glass, said: "Initially we had accounts from independent witnesses who were on Cornhill, who told us that there had been no contact between the police and Mr Tomlinson when he collapsed.
However, other witnesses have since told us that he did have contact with officers. This would have been a few minutes before he collapsed. It is important that we are able to establish whether that contact had anything to do with his death."
Metropolitan police statement
Wednesday 1 April 23:36pm
A member of the public went to a police officer on a cordon in Birchin Lane, junction with Cornhill to say that there was a man who had collapsed round the corner.
That officer sent two police medics through the cordon line and into St Michaels Alley where they found a man who had stopped breathing. They called for LAS support at about 1930.
The officers gave him an initial check and cleared his airway before moving him back behind the cordon line to a clear area outside the Royal Exchange Building where they gave him CPR.
The officers took the decision to move him as during this time a number of missiles - believed to be bottles - were being thrown at them.
LAS took the man to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The Directorate of Professional Standards at both the MPS and City of London Police have been informed. The IPCC has been informed.
April 8, 2009
The Guardian obtained this footage of Ian Tomlinson at a G20 protest in London, shortly before he died. It shows Tomlinson, who was not part of the demonstration, being assaulted from behind and pushed to the ground by baton-wielding police
[Link to this video]
The official account of the events surrounding the death of Ian Tomlinson has altered sharply in the past week.
He collapsed and died shortly after 7.30pm last Wednesday, when police were still corralling protesters in a cordon near the Bank of England. A statement issued by the Met at 11.36pm described how police were told by a member of the public that a man had collapsed. Two police medics examined him and called for a London ambulance crew, but the statement said police decided to move Tomlinson, who had stopped breathing, because protesters were throwing missiles at them.
The statement made no mention of any prior police contact with Tomlinson. The following day, journalists were briefed by police that he was not a protester, had not been involved with police or been in a crush and had died of natural causes outside of the police cordon.
Independent witnesses subsequently challenged the account, maintaining that only one bottle was thrown and that one protester used a loudhailer making it clear that a man had been injured and was being assisted by police and ambulance.
The following day the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) confirmed it had received a referral from the police and would make a decision about its level of involvement after considering CCTV footage and post-mortem results. This week, the IPCC confirmed that it would manage an investigation by City of London police into the circumstances of police contact with Tomlinson.
IPCC Commissioner for London, Deborah Glass, said: "Initially we had accounts from independent witnesses who were on Cornhill, who told us that there had been no contact between the police and Mr Tomlinson when he collapsed.
However, other witnesses have since told us that he did have contact with officers. This would have been a few minutes before he collapsed. It is important that we are able to establish whether that contact had anything to do with his death."
Metropolitan police statement
Wednesday 1 April 23:36pm
A member of the public went to a police officer on a cordon in Birchin Lane, junction with Cornhill to say that there was a man who had collapsed round the corner.
That officer sent two police medics through the cordon line and into St Michaels Alley where they found a man who had stopped breathing. They called for LAS support at about 1930.
The officers gave him an initial check and cleared his airway before moving him back behind the cordon line to a clear area outside the Royal Exchange Building where they gave him CPR.
The officers took the decision to move him as during this time a number of missiles - believed to be bottles - were being thrown at them.
LAS took the man to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The Directorate of Professional Standards at both the MPS and City of London Police have been informed. The IPCC has been informed.
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on Wednesday, April 08, 2009 |
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