Prosecutors to reveal De Menezes decision

LONDON - Prosecutors are to announce tomorrow whether British police officers involved in the fatal shooting of an innocent Brazilian man mistaken for a suicide bomber will face criminal charges.

Jean Charles de Menezes was shot seven times in the head on a London underground train during a major anti-terrorism operation last July 22, the day after police say four men attempted to bomb London's transport system.

The police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), completed a report into the incident in January and passed its findings to prosecutors to decide whether individual officers should face criminal action.

The BBC reported last week that the IPCC had recommended that two firearms officers and Cressida Dick, the senior officer who was in charge of the operation, should face action.

But the Guardian newspaper reported on Sunday that the Crown Prosecution Service had decided against charging any individual because there was not enough evidence.

Instead, the London police force as a whole will face charges for breaching health and safety rules, the paper said.

Neither the CPS nor the IPCC will comment on the reports before the official announcement.

Whatever the outcome, the IPCC's full report will not immediately be made public and will have to wait until the end of court proceedings should any legal action be taken.

The shooting of de Menezes, a 27-year-old electrician, shocked Britain, where most police officers are unarmed, and damaged the police's reputation.

Officers had been on high alert after the suspected bombing attempts the day before, which came two weeks after four British Islamists killed 52 commuters and injured 700 others in suicide attacks on three underground trains and a bus.

Initial reports had suggested de Menezes had been wearing a bulky jacket, had vaulted a ticket barrier at Stockwell underground station in south London, and had run when challenged by police.

But leaked evidence from the IPCC probe suggested all such claims were untrue and there had been major blunders by officers involved in the operation.

The Brazilian's family have repeatedly called for those involved to face criminal charges and say a full public inquiry may also be needed.

"As and when things do go wrong ... the police need to, in a very transparent way, learn from their mistakes," Home Office minister Tony McNulty told Sky News on Sunday.

"There needs to be the reports and reviews that are necessary and collectively -- as government and all other agencies -- we do need to learn the very, very serious lessons every time a mistake is made."

- REUTERS