Naman Shrestha
In Netflix’s ‘Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers,’ the primary focus is on the 7/7 bombings that terrorized the entire city of London, where the suicide bombers destroyed several sites on July 7, 2005. The four-part documentary series also explores the aftermath of the tragedy and other attempted bombings on July 21 of the same year. While investigating the failed bombings, the police zeroed in on four suspects. Unfortunately, the manhunt led to the death of an innocent Brazilian native named Jean Charles de Menezes. The docuseries features his cousins, who provide a detailed account of his life and the impact his death had on the family and the entire nation.
Jean Charles Menezes Was Mistaken For a Suicide Bomber and Killed
Born on January 7, 1978, in Gonzaga, Brazil, Jean Charles de Menezes was raised by Maria and Matozinhos Otone Da Silva on a family farm, where he had made loads of memories with his loved ones, including two cousins, Vivian and Patricia. By the time he was 14, he had shown a great deal of potential in the field of electronics. In order to make the most of it, he left the family farm and relocated to São Paulo, where he lived with his uncle. He attended Escola Estadual São Sebastião (São Sebastião State School) and earned a professional diploma at the age of 19. Hoping to lead a better life full of opportunities, Jean visited the United Kingdom on a six-month visitor visa in March 2002. After his visitor visa expired, he applied for a student visa and stayed there. Soon, he managed to get a job as an electrician in London, England. There, he shared a flat with Vivian and Patricia when the 7/7 bombings and 21/7 attempted bombings took place and devastated the entire nation.
Following the failed bombing attempts at various sites across London on July 21, 2005, the Metropolitan Police began searching for the four suspects. During the investigation, the authorities linked an address on Scotia Road to one of them. Following up on the lead, they began surveilling the apartment building where Jean lived with his two cousins, Vivian and Patricia, on July 22. That same day, he was reportedly called to fix a broken fire alarm in Kilburn. When he emerged from the building, suspicion was raised among the officers, who thought that it might be the suspect they were looking for. Upon comparing him to the CCTV images of the suspects, one of the officers found a few similarities between them. Thus, they were allowed to tail Jean and keep a close eye on him. Jean took a bus to Brixton station, where he got off and noticed that the station was shut down due to the attempted bombings the previous day.
So, he reboarded the same bus towards Stockwell. However, while following him, the police reportedly considered this suspicious behavior and got even more confident that they had the right man. So, the officers were ordered not to let Jean enter the London Underground system and board any train. Around 10 am, Jean entered the Stockwell station and boarded a train. Three officers boarded the same train with him to look for any suspicious activity. Meanwhile, additional firearms officers also managed to catch the same train. According to some reports, the electrician was first challenged before the officers charged him. On the other hand, several reports suggest that Jean was not questioned or challenged as the officers restrained him before firing a total of eleven shots at him. He was reportedly struck seven times in the head and once in the shoulder, dying on the spot due to the fatal gunshot wounds. Following the shooting, it was reported that it was connected to the attempted bombings on July 21.
Jean Charles Menezes’ Demise Devastated His Family Members
On July 23, 2005, the Metropolitan Police realized that they had made a huge mistake as the victim was identified as Jean Charles de Menezes, an innocent electrician. Upon inspecting his belongings, they could not find any explosives in his possession. On top of that, there was no evidence that he was linked to the attempted bombings. They broke the tragic news to Jean’s family, including the two cousins, Vivian and Patricia, with whom he shared a flat in London. The authorities also issued a formal apology, as they described it as an unfortunate tragedy that they deeply regret.
However, the heartbroken Menezes family rejected the apology and blamed Jean’s passing on police incompetence. Initially, the family was offered nearly £585,000 for their loss in compensation, but they reportedly only received about £100,000 from the Metropolitan Police. A few days after the tragedy, his remains were moved to Gonzaga, Brazil, where he was buried on July 29, 2005. The following year, it was decided by the Crown Prosecution Service that none of the police officers would be prosecuted for the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes. One of the two officers who fired the fatal gunshots at him apologized and admitted his guilt.
He said, “I would say to Jean Charles’ family that I am sorry, that I and another officer were put in a position where we killed your son. I would do anything to roll back time, to have a different set of circumstances where that didn’t happen.” Codenamed C2, the officer further added, “I am responsible, and I accept responsibility. As a firearms officer, ultimately, the decision to use force is yours. But why were we in that position? Those people in command put me in that position, they also have to answer.”
Read More: Vivian and Patricia: Where Are Jean Charles de Menezes’ Cousins Now?
