The Metropolitan Police confirmed yesterday that Deputy Assistant Commissioner John Yates arrived in Brazil on Sunday for talks with the family of young electrician Jean Charles de Menezes, who was shot dead by police last month.
Yates and the British ambassador to Brazil, Peter Collecott were yesterday due to begin negotiations with the family in their home town.
Yates arrived in the city of Governador Valadares, amid reports that Britain would offer to pay £600,000 blood money as compensation for Jean’s murder.
He was shot to death – seven shots in the head and one in the back – by police gunmen on Friday July 22.
The grieving family have insisted that their foremost demand is for justice, that the murderers should stand trial, and that the British police give up their# shoot-to-kill policy.
Cousin Alex Alvares Pereira, who was living in London with de Menezes and had travelled to Brazil for the funeral on Thursday, said: ‘More than money we want justice.
‘We want to see the policemen in jail so that this does not happen to other innocent people again.’
Scotland Yard was yesterday reluctant to speak about the police trip to Brazil.
News Line phoned the Metropolitan Police and asked about a possible $1 million compensation.
One press officer said: ‘We aren’t going to discuss the issue of compensation with the de Menezes family.’
He added: ‘We have a short statement: “Deputy Assistant commissioner John Yates travelled to Brazil on the 30th July, arriving 31st, to meet Jean Charles de Menezes’ family.
“The purpose is to offer a personal apology to the family on behalf of the Commissioner for the tragic death of Mr de Menezes.
“The Metropolitan Police service deeply regrets his death”.’
When News Line pointed out to the press officer that the family are demanding compensation, he replied: ‘They may have done so but we aren’t discussing the issue.’
When News Line phoned back to query this position, pointing out that the family is bound to raise the issue with Yates, another press officer admitted: ‘He is discussing compensation.’
She then added: ‘I’d better check the log on this.’
She came back after a pause to say: ‘We are not discussing any details of the talks with the family.’
De Menezes was buried in Gonzaga last Friday in a ceremony that attracted an estimated 10,000 people and was marked by anti-British protests.
l One of the men held on suspicion of trying to set off a bomb on the London transport system on 21 July had no links to any terrorist organisation, Italian police stated yesterday.
Carlo de Stefano, head of Rome’s anti-terrorism police, told how Osman Hussain was in constant contact with family members in Italy as he travelled from London.
Two of his brothers have been arrested and questioned by police, but de Stefano said it appeared there were no links to larger international terrorist organisations.
Meanwhile, Italian judges have two months to decide whether he should be extradited to the UK.
Hussein’s is the first case in which Italy has been asked to hand over a terrorist suspect to another EU country under new EU ‘fast track’ extradition rules.
INSURGENTS THREATEN TO RETAKE FALLUJAH
The commanding officer of US marines in Fallujah has stated that insurgency is on the rise in the city.
‘There is no doubt that the insurgency will rise in and around Fallujah over the next few months as a lot of political developments take place,’ Colonel Mark Gurganus said yesterday.
The city, 50 kilometres west of Baghdad, was recaptured by US forces following a massive military bombardment last November, but fighting has continued, with the US unable to suppress the insurgency and US troops being killed in action in and around the city.
Most of Fallujah’s 300,000 inhabitants fled at the time and about half have since returned.
‘Now more and more people are returning to their homes and want to continue their livelihood which is what makes the city again sensitive to rebel attacks,’ Gurganus cautioned.
‘With the referendum coming in the next two months and then the national elections, attacks will increase in Fallujah even as we try to check each and every person entering the city,’ he added.
‘We have entry control points, but one can never guarantee that no bad guy can enter the city.’
Having prepared the media for bad news ahead, he sought to maintain: ‘There is no way they can try anything spectacular. There is no way they can take control of Fallujah again.’
He also made his excuses in advance saying: ‘Today we have three forces working together, though the Iraqi army and the police are still not as completely professional as the cohesive unit of the marines.’