Man shot in London terror raid speaks out

Mohammed Abdul Kahar (R) and brother Abul Koyair at a press conference. Picture / Reuters

LONDON - An innocent man shot without warning during a dawn raid by London police seeking a possible chemical bomb has spoken of the incident for the first time.

The man and his brother said the officer who shot him fired straight away during the raid in east London, which involved about 250 police.

"We both had eye contact, he shot me straight away," Mohammed Abdul Kahar, 23, told the news conference.

"I just saw an orange spark and a big bang. I flew into the wall, slipped down. There was blood coming down my chest. I knew I was shot." [Watch video]

Responding to concern by those affected by the raid, which involved police wearing chemical, biological and radiological protection suits, Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman apologised, but said the intelligence received had raised serious concerns for public safety.

"On that basis we had no choice but to mount a robust operation which required a fast armed response," Hayman said in a statement.

"I am aware that in mounting this operation, we have caused disruption and inconvenience to many residents in Newham and more importantly those who reside at 46 and 48 Landsdowne Road. I apologise for the hurt that we may have caused."

Kahar's brother Abul Koyair, 20, said they were woken by the sound of smashing glass and believed their home in Forest Gate was being burgled because police did not identify themselves.

"They tried to murder my brother," Koyair said. "They dragged me away from my brother and they dragged me down the stairs and they were hitting me."

The pair were released without charge last week after being arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000. A family spokesman said the brothers are Muslims of Bangladeshi origin.

Both denied any link to terrorism and said they had no idea why police had raided their house.

The high-profile operation has increased pressure on police chief Ian Blair, already under fire over the fatal shooting in the capital last July of a Brazilian wrongly suspected of being a suicide bomber.

The raid was one of the biggest since suicide bombings on July 7 last year killed 52 commuters in London, but it failed to find evidence at the house of what one police source called "some form of viable chemical device".

The subsequent release of Kahar and his brother has raised questions over the intelligence that led to the June 2 raid.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has backed the police chief, saying he was doing a "fine job" and had his full confidence.

"If the police and security services had failed to act on the intelligence, then people would have quite rightly been critical," Blair's official spokesman said.

"You can't get it 100 per cent right all the time," he said. "The threat we face isn't one that advertises itself."

There have been conflicting reports about how Kahar was shot. Some newspapers said there had been a struggle. Police have said a shot was fired but declined further comment on the shooting as an investigation is under way.

- REUTERS