That's What You Get For Not Acting Suspiciously

Matt Welch | August 15, 2005

Remember that bulky jacket-wearing, fare-skipping young foreigner who taught the world that it's a bad idea to act suspiciously near public transportation after a terrorist attack? The UK's Observer investigates, and among other things finds:

Initial claims that de Menezes was targeted because he was wearing a bulky coat, refused to stop when challenged and then vaulted the ticket barriers have all turned out to be false. He was wearing a denim jacket, used a standard Oyster electronic card to get into the station and simply walked towards the platform unchallenged.

It has also been suggested that officers did not identify themselves properly before shooting de Menezes seven times in the head.