Suspected suicide bomber shot at Stockwell station.

[cori]

Have just heard an unconfirmed report on the radio. Anyone else?

Tortoiseshell I am exactly the same. I work on the thames, and there was loads of manic beeping by boats down there - I immediately had visions of a mad terrroist on a speed boat aim for the tourist boats. Later that day a jet sped past really fast eastwards - was convinced it was heading for Canary Wharf and listened out for ages for the big bang. But it was VE day, and it was a a fly over and some kind of display. Totally OTT but I am fearful of my life. I have been having nightmares and sleepless nights because of this. Some people can be chilled out about things but I am not one of them, I am responding in exactly the way they want me to and that is sad I know, but I am only human and I can' help the way I feel and the way it is effecting me.

In my opinion, anyone who claims not to feel nervous, if not afraid, when travelling on public transport in London at the moment is a fool!

I feel nervous when travelling in a car in central London let alone on public transport.

DH has been called back into his shop again as the alarms are going off. He is having a very good day off today. He was there until 1:30am, back there from 8am till 12pm. Now back there again until whatever time he sorts it out.

If you have to use the transport system everyday you have to try and avoid thinking about I guess. And the British stiff upper lip helps enough. I try to concentrate on the fact that less than 60 people died, and that that is such a small percentage of London. But off course I jump to the 700+ wounded, and the larger number still who experienced the fear of having been on the trains, or seeing the bus firsthand. If you live and work there you have no option.

hi kid sorry to hear dh is having another bad day (hope you both get a chance to relax at the weekend)

i have not posted on this threadas i dont know all the facts yet but my dp has been doing my head in lately saying that guy deserves what he got and i say but what if (and its a big if) the guy was innocent and had another reason to run away form the police other than he had a bomb.

even if he was guilty was there any need to shoot him 5 times. would it not have been better to arrest him and get info. my view is he doesnt care if he dies as thats what was intended (if he had a bomb)

what if he was innocent as such but wanted to act like a marter and make the police out to be bad by killing a muslim.

a lot of what ifs but we havent been given any info really

Starshaker, he was suspected of wearing a belt made of explosive. Even when lying on the floor he could easily detonated it. Now ask yourself this question, would you want your dh to be the person that went over and arrested him? No, me neither.

Oh and the policy is always to shoot to kill. Shooting to disable only happens in hollywood.

My DP is a PC and the thought fills me with even more horror.

i get that but 5 times in the head close range so they didnt miss were they worried that once or even twice at a push didnt kill him

I think the police are doing a fantastic job. Even at 1am this morning, they were still being friendly and helpful trying to help people find an alternative route home.

5 times in the head does seem extreme, but we don't know all the facts and doubt we will find them out either.

i agree the police are doing a great job in a difficult situation i just worry that that officer might find out that the guy was innocent and how will he feel then. i know for a fact i couldnt do the job they do

i also wander if the guy was innocent would the police actually admit that or will they say what every1 is asuming anyway

Flossam, hugs to you at what must be a very, very stressful time. (dh is in the RAF so I have a little bit of similar experience)

Similar thoughts fleeted across my mind about the bloke they shot this morning. But at the moment, for my own peace of mind, I prefer to think the police are doing the right thing.

Starshaker, he was a suspected suicide bomber, the police shoot to kill to PROTECT civilian lives. What if you and your family were sitting on that train? The very fact he was shot by undercover police means he was under very very very close surveillance.

I think the 'five times in the head' means that these were not just armed police who happened to be on the scene. But rather specialists who had been watching this person for a while

SS, I don't know if this guy was innocent, loaded with explosives or involved in some other way. What I can understand, actually, is if you really believed that this man was out to harm you and members of the public around you, you had been chasing him, your adrenaline is going, you are fearful for your life - yes I would want to make sure he was dead. And 5 bullets should be sufficient. Sorry it sounds harsh but these officers believed their life was in danger, and were acting to try and protect the public.

but why wont they tell us anything

I'm sure it was said he was followed from a house which is under surveillance

flossam, surely the point is we don't know what was going on in their heads, we don't know anything, nor are we likely to.

i feel for the poor people on the train that witnessed it right at there feet (thats something you don't get over from in a hurry)

Hmb, I agree. these were not your 'ordinary' armed coppers, I am sure. I think we have to assume there is lots we don't know (and maybe never know) for security's sake.

xed posts snafu

Because the speculation suits them. If the bombers know that so and so has been caught, they will understand why he was caught and know how to act. Too much information, as my DP was telling me earlier, gives the criminals too much guidance for how to get away, cover up their crimes etc. When the operation is over, we will find out more. I would rather they kept quiet for now and caught all those involved than told me all that I am wondering to know.