LONDON, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- British police chief Sir Ian Blair is to be investigated for his conduct over the mistaken police killing of an innocent man following the London bombings.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission announced Monday that it was widening its investigation into the fatal shooting of Brazilian national Jean Charles de Menezes, to include the conduct of the Metropolitan Police commissioner.
De Menezes was shot seven times in the head as he boarded an underground train at London's Stockwell station on July 22, after police mistook him for a suicide bomb suspect. Blair initially told the media that de Menezes was directly linked to the failed bomb attacks the previous day, and had failed to obey police instructions to stop when challenged. Scotland Yard said in a statement that his "clothing and demeanour" had added to suspicions he was carrying a bomb.
But de Menezes' family claims that Blair and other senior officers "misled" the public over the circumstances of the shooting. It later emerged that the victim had not been wearing bulky clothing or jumped a ticket barrier as was widely reported, nor had he been ordered to stop by police.
Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary Mark Oaten said a "thorough investigation" was in the interests of the police, the public, and the de Menezes family.
"In our society, where terrorism presents a real and constant threat, it's critical that the public can have confidence in the public statements of the police.
"Lessons must be learned from Jean Charles' tragic death."
Deputy Assistant Commissioner John Yates said the Metropolitan Police welcomed the investigation.
He said in a statement that while the complaints involved Sir Ian Blair, they were not "solely about him."
"They specifically ask that the IPCC investigate where any misleading accounts relating to the tragic events of July 22 originated from, and how and why they were put into the public domain."
All of those involved would cooperate fully with the investigation, he added.
