Shoot to Kill
The Guardian | 24.07.2005 17:22 | London
SHOOT TO KILL Current rating: 0
by The Guardian
(No verified email address) 23 Jul 2005
Briton uses tactics learned from Israeli counterpart....Shoot to Kill.
Shoot to kill
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Seconds to decide if suspect is suicide threat
Special armed squad first to use tactics developed with Israeli aid
Vikram Dodd
Saturday July 23, 2005
Guardian
The shooting yesterday at Stockwell tube station was the first time police used special tactics developed to tackle the threat of suicide bombers.
Under Operation Kratos a senior officer is on standby 24 hours a day to authorise the deployment of special armed squads, who will track and if needs be, shoot dead suspected suicide bombers.
One of the most senior officers involved in protecting London confirmed there were special teams of armed officers ready to be deployed.
A senior Metropolitan police source with knowledge of firearms procedures said of the shooting at Stockwell: "This was an intelligence led operation, within the parameters of Kratos." Officially the Met will not talk about Kratos, but the tactics have been in place for a year and were developed after British officers learnt from their Israeli counterparts how best to tackle suicide bombers.
A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers insisted that there had been no change in the law or in firearms policy. The relevant law is section three of the 1967 criminal law act, which reads: "A person may use such force as is reasonable in the prevention of crime."
Acpo's guidance to officers, revised in February this year, says: "You may open fire against a person only when absolutely necessary after traditional methods have tried and failed, or must, by the very nature of the circumstances, be unlikely to succeed if tried.
"To sum up, a police officer should not decide to open fire unless that officer is satisfied that nothing short of opening fire could protect the officer or another person from imminent danger to life or serious injury."
The threat to life must be clear and present, say Acpo guidelines which add that weapons should be used when "police officers need to shoot to stop an imminent threat to life. The imminence of any threat should be judged in respect to the potential loss of life ... and consideration of necessity, reasonableness and proportionality."
Challenge
The guidance says shots to the upper chest area "are likely to be effective in achieving rapid incapacitation. Shots which strike the other parts of the body cannot be depended upon to achieve this."
Officers from Kratos or following their tactics are reported to be authorised to shoot to kill, and aim for the head to avoid triggering explosive devices attached to the chest or waist. Suicide bombers targeting public transport present a unique challenge. As July 7 showed, if they succeed the result is mass murder.
One senior police source suggested tactics had changed according to the "different scenarios" posed by a suicide bomber suspect. A senior Met source said: "The operation would have been authorised by a senior officer, and the armed officers would be able to self-deploy, open fire if they saw an imminent threat. They can get authority retrospectively. Once the officer decides to shoot, it's shoot to kill."
This is a view shared by another senior Met officer. He explained why shoot to kill is the only option once armed officers are deployed: "If you start debating whether I should shoot him in the leg, the suspect could come back."
This officer said there was nothing new in firearms officers being given permission to shoot suspects in the head. "You shoot where it best suits the situation, it depends on many factors, such as the angle you are at to the suspect. When the officer believes he has the right to use lethal force he will shoot wherever."
Solicitor Daniel Machover said that even if the suspect shot dead had no weapons or explosive, officers could have a defence against a murder charge. Mr Machover, who has has taken legal actions against police after shooting incidents, said: "If the perception in the officers' minds was that the suspect was posing an immediate threat to them or others, opening fire may well have been lawful. The test is the threat they perceived when they opened fire." He said a defence against a lesser charge would be more complex. The shooting in Stockwell capped a fortnight of mounting pressure on Britain's biggest police force and its commissioner Sir Ian Blair. The elite anti-terrorism and serious crime groups are working mammoth shifts, and throughout the force of more than 30,000 officers the pressure is telling.
Visibility
To reassure the public, the force is engaged in high visibility policing, getting as many constables and part-time officers on the streets as possible. The force has to keep London going, while mounting a hugely pressured and complex investigation into the July 7 attacks. One senior officer said: "We don't think we can sustain the demands of high visibility policing, guarding mosques, manning endless cordons. Officers are working 12 hour days, we are way over budget, we are bursting at the seams."
On top of this, police know they cannot be seen to be heavy-handed with people from Muslim communities - not just because of civil rights, but because investigators believe the communities must be reassured that the police are on their side, so they will pass on any information on terrorism that may come their way. The shooting yesterday showed the dynamic at work. The moderate Muslim Council of Britain was deeply concerned. Its spokesman, Inayat Bunglawala, said: "From his press conference Ian Blair seemed to imply that the man shot dead was not one of the four attempted suicide bombers. That increases the urgency of the question of why this man was shot dead as opposed to being disabled or arrested. There may be good reason, but the police need to explain what their reasons are. There has been a marked increase of nervousness among Muslims today"
Massoud Shadjareh of the Islamic Human Rights Commission said: "We have raised concerns about the Met sending officers to learn from the Israelis about suicide bombers. They have a policy of assassinating people - why should our police learn these tactics and these values?"
See also:
http://htpp://www.guardian.co.uk
by The Guardian
(No verified email address) 23 Jul 2005
Briton uses tactics learned from Israeli counterpart....Shoot to Kill.
Shoot to kill
--------------------------------------------------------------
Seconds to decide if suspect is suicide threat
Special armed squad first to use tactics developed with Israeli aid
Vikram Dodd
Saturday July 23, 2005
Guardian
The shooting yesterday at Stockwell tube station was the first time police used special tactics developed to tackle the threat of suicide bombers.
Under Operation Kratos a senior officer is on standby 24 hours a day to authorise the deployment of special armed squads, who will track and if needs be, shoot dead suspected suicide bombers.
One of the most senior officers involved in protecting London confirmed there were special teams of armed officers ready to be deployed.
A senior Metropolitan police source with knowledge of firearms procedures said of the shooting at Stockwell: "This was an intelligence led operation, within the parameters of Kratos." Officially the Met will not talk about Kratos, but the tactics have been in place for a year and were developed after British officers learnt from their Israeli counterparts how best to tackle suicide bombers.
A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers insisted that there had been no change in the law or in firearms policy. The relevant law is section three of the 1967 criminal law act, which reads: "A person may use such force as is reasonable in the prevention of crime."
Acpo's guidance to officers, revised in February this year, says: "You may open fire against a person only when absolutely necessary after traditional methods have tried and failed, or must, by the very nature of the circumstances, be unlikely to succeed if tried.
"To sum up, a police officer should not decide to open fire unless that officer is satisfied that nothing short of opening fire could protect the officer or another person from imminent danger to life or serious injury."
The threat to life must be clear and present, say Acpo guidelines which add that weapons should be used when "police officers need to shoot to stop an imminent threat to life. The imminence of any threat should be judged in respect to the potential loss of life ... and consideration of necessity, reasonableness and proportionality."
Challenge
The guidance says shots to the upper chest area "are likely to be effective in achieving rapid incapacitation. Shots which strike the other parts of the body cannot be depended upon to achieve this."
Officers from Kratos or following their tactics are reported to be authorised to shoot to kill, and aim for the head to avoid triggering explosive devices attached to the chest or waist. Suicide bombers targeting public transport present a unique challenge. As July 7 showed, if they succeed the result is mass murder.
One senior police source suggested tactics had changed according to the "different scenarios" posed by a suicide bomber suspect. A senior Met source said: "The operation would have been authorised by a senior officer, and the armed officers would be able to self-deploy, open fire if they saw an imminent threat. They can get authority retrospectively. Once the officer decides to shoot, it's shoot to kill."
This is a view shared by another senior Met officer. He explained why shoot to kill is the only option once armed officers are deployed: "If you start debating whether I should shoot him in the leg, the suspect could come back."
This officer said there was nothing new in firearms officers being given permission to shoot suspects in the head. "You shoot where it best suits the situation, it depends on many factors, such as the angle you are at to the suspect. When the officer believes he has the right to use lethal force he will shoot wherever."
Solicitor Daniel Machover said that even if the suspect shot dead had no weapons or explosive, officers could have a defence against a murder charge. Mr Machover, who has has taken legal actions against police after shooting incidents, said: "If the perception in the officers' minds was that the suspect was posing an immediate threat to them or others, opening fire may well have been lawful. The test is the threat they perceived when they opened fire." He said a defence against a lesser charge would be more complex. The shooting in Stockwell capped a fortnight of mounting pressure on Britain's biggest police force and its commissioner Sir Ian Blair. The elite anti-terrorism and serious crime groups are working mammoth shifts, and throughout the force of more than 30,000 officers the pressure is telling.
Visibility
To reassure the public, the force is engaged in high visibility policing, getting as many constables and part-time officers on the streets as possible. The force has to keep London going, while mounting a hugely pressured and complex investigation into the July 7 attacks. One senior officer said: "We don't think we can sustain the demands of high visibility policing, guarding mosques, manning endless cordons. Officers are working 12 hour days, we are way over budget, we are bursting at the seams."
On top of this, police know they cannot be seen to be heavy-handed with people from Muslim communities - not just because of civil rights, but because investigators believe the communities must be reassured that the police are on their side, so they will pass on any information on terrorism that may come their way. The shooting yesterday showed the dynamic at work. The moderate Muslim Council of Britain was deeply concerned. Its spokesman, Inayat Bunglawala, said: "From his press conference Ian Blair seemed to imply that the man shot dead was not one of the four attempted suicide bombers. That increases the urgency of the question of why this man was shot dead as opposed to being disabled or arrested. There may be good reason, but the police need to explain what their reasons are. There has been a marked increase of nervousness among Muslims today"
Massoud Shadjareh of the Islamic Human Rights Commission said: "We have raised concerns about the Met sending officers to learn from the Israelis about suicide bombers. They have a policy of assassinating people - why should our police learn these tactics and these values?"
See also:
http://htpp://www.guardian.co.uk
The Guardian
Comments
Hide the following 7 comments
killing is wrong
24.07.2005 18:57
liz
Who Did The Shooting?
24.07.2005 22:33
Who is "they" ?
I suspect that the completely innocent Brazilian might have been executed by an Israeli death squad. That the assassins were perhaps agents of a Foreign Government, and not under the command of the British authorities, might explain why there is a complete news blackout over the assassin's identity.
The media is not only failing to report the assassin's identity but also the identity of his accomplices; their military unit; and the chain of command that led up to the unlawful killing. All the pertinent facts to this murder remain shrouded in mystery.
In May 2003, London's Sunday Express newspaper, owned by the child pornographer, Richard "Dirty" Desmond, himself a Jew with close links to the Likudnik cabal, carried a series of front page articles confirming for the first time that there are Israeli death squads with orders to carry out extra-judicial executions on British soil.
Naturally, the Israeli-firster Quislings in the British parliament, at least publicly, haven't even raised an eyebrow over this enormously significant forfeiture of national sovereignty.
Below is one of those articles from the Sunday Express.
Quote:ISRAELI DEATH SQUAD ON OUR STREETS
MOSSAD ASSASSINS RETURN TO BRITAIN AFTER 17 YEARS' ABSENCE TO 'DISABLE' THREAT FROM ISLAMIC TERRORISTS
May 11, 2003
Sunday Express
Exclusive by Gordon Thomas, Tim Shipman and Yvonne Ridley
MOSSAD has sent four of its top assassins to Britain, provoking fears of a violent showdown on the streets with Islamic terrorists.
The kidon assassination squad has joined 15 handpicked katsas - Mossad's regular field agents - in the UK to "carry the war to our enemies", according to senior Israeli sources.
Their brief is to "disable" any of the "close to 50" British Muslims that the extremist Islamic group, Al-Muhajiroun, last week boasted were "primed and ready" to carry out suicide missions similar to the one in Tel Aviv carried out by a British passport holder.
An MI5 source said: "In Mossadspeak 'disable' means taking them out permanently. We know from past experience the kidon can make murder look like an accident. It is their speciality."
Two of the kidon sent to Britain are understood to be women trained in the art of the honeytrap.
Former Mossad chief Meir Amit said: "Sex is a woman's weapon.
Pillow talk is not a problem for her.
But it takes a special kind of courage to sleep with the enemy."
Rafi Eitan, a former director of operations, said: "We are like the official hangman or the doctor on death row who administers the lethal injection. We are simply fulfiling a sentence sanctioned by the prime minister of the day".
Since he has come to office Israel's Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, has "sanctioned" a number of assassinations of terrorists who could not be brought before Israeli courts.
The decision to send in Mossad came after urgent discussions between the two governments last weekend, which were described as "heated". One senior Israeli minister accused Britain of becoming a "haven for terrorists" during a hostile telephone conversation.
Later, Mossad's new chief, Meir Dagan, called Eliza Manningham-Buller, head of MI5, and told her that his men would co-operate closely with her agents.
The next day, katsas from Mossad headquarters in Brussels had flown into Heathrow, followed 24 hours later by the four-man kidon from Israel.
Supporting them are Mossad yahalomin, who are specialists at bugging phones and buildings.
Israel has made it clear that it fears Britain has become a haven for extremist preachers.
...
British intelligence officers are angry that Mossad's arrival in force in Britain for the first time since 1986 undermines their independence and casts serious doubts on their ability to deal with the enemy within. Their worst fear is that innocent civilians could get mixed up in an assassination attempt or a botched kidnapping.
But they also fear that the Mossad incursion into Britain is an attempt to embarrass the Labour Government, which has upset Mr Sharon through Tony Blair's stern advocacy of the Middle East peace road map.
A British intelligence source said: "The whole purpose would be to neutralise Britain and eliminate Blair from taking part in the talks on the grounds his country is harbouring terrorists.
"Sharon gets rid of UK interference and is able to shoehorn Mossad in to Britain again with the blessing of the Government." The Israeli embassy in London denied Mossad is on British soil and praised the role of the British intelligence services.
A spokeswoman said: "Britain has offered full cooperation in the investigation of the suicide bombings. We are very satisfied, we have full confidence in MI5 and MI6, we have very good relations."
The security situation will form a key part of talks this week between Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and his Israeli opposite number Silvan Shalom. These will be the first toplevel talks with Mossad on British soil since Margaret Thatcher ordered their operations to be shut down in 1986 after a "honeytrap" operation to kidnap Mordechai Vanunu, the whistleblower who revealed secrets about Israel's nuclear arsenal.
In Britain, the kidon are banned from using guns or explosives. But they are equipped with long and short-blade knives, and piano wire to strangle their victims.
Victor Ostrovsky, a former member of the assassination team, said:
"Strangulation if the target is to be killed at night. Sometimes an aerosol or a syringe in the jugular to deliver a fast-acting nerve agent that kills and leaves no trace."
In the past, Mossad has killed 'terrorists' in Paris, Frankfurt and other European cities.
British Cops trained in Israel
"Operation Kratos": London Met Police Special Operations Unit "Shoot to Kill"
by Michel Chossudovsky
But why would they shoot the man FIVE TIMES after they had already apprehended him?
Police chief 'sorry' over death
Met Police chief Sir Ian Blair has apologised to the family of the Brazilian man shot dead by police in south London on Friday.
But then he says that more people could be shot while hunting suspected "suicide bombers". Don't forget that the police don't think 7/7 was a suicide bombing, and neither were this week's 'incidents', and this was an innocent man, who perhaps simply saw something he shouldn't have.
Doesn't this prove the policy a failure ... ?
Shot man not connected to bombing
A man shot dead by police hunting the bombers behind Thursday's London attacks was a Brazilian electrician unconnected to the incidents.
Again, Too Many Holes
bloody cheek
24.07.2005 23:30
brazilian death squad
Killer Cop named. Dont believe your news agents.
25.07.2005 12:45
W.H. Smith and fellow Police operatives were on the look out for Fourbouys believed to be involved with the attempted bombing in Londis last week. Smith is quoted as saying "wasn't my fault guvnor, was Martins, honest".
Head of the new under cover anti-terrorist branch, R. S. McColl, said that mistakes were made and that he is not a happy shopper but assures the public that the chanches of being shot five times in the head were only slightly more likely than winning the national lottery. "It could be you" he added with a sinister laugh at the end of his secret press conference from behind a newspaper on a bench in Victoria Park this morning.
Megatron
SEVEN bullets in the head!
25.07.2005 17:54
Guido
What Did He See?
25.07.2005 20:13
Guess that's why they tried so hard to kill the story about the 7/7 devices being loaded with military explosives the week previous ...
Don't Fall for the PsyOps
Copper chopper
26.07.2005 15:19
Flipper