Undercover Officers Spied on Family of Innocent Man Shot Dead by Met Police
Four undercover police officers conducted surveillance on the justice campaign run by the family of Jean Charles de Menezes, the innocent man shot dead by police on the London Underground in 2005, according to evidence presented at the Spycops public inquiry. This covert monitoring occurred while the grieving family was actively seeking to hold the Metropolitan Police accountable and uncover the truth behind the tragic incident where officers mistakenly identified him as a suicide bomber and fired seven shots into his head.
Shocking Revelations and Family Outrage
Patricia Armani da Silva, the cousin of de Menezes, expressed deep shock upon learning of the spying during her testimony to the inquiry. She emphasized that the family's campaign was entirely peaceful, stating, "At no point did I or the people within our campaign ever advocate or condone public disorder, breaking the law or subversion of any kind." Scotland Yard maintained a secret file on the campaign, documenting meeting details and identifying key supporters along with their email addresses, an action the Met has since admitted was "wholly unjustifiable."
Background of the Tragic Incident
In July 2005, police firearms officers killed Jean Charles de Menezes, a Brazilian electrician, at Stockwell tube station in London. He was wrongly linked to fugitives from a failed bombing two weeks after the 7/7 attacks, which resulted in 52 fatalities. Despite the Met being fined for health and safety violations, no individual officers faced prosecution. Da Silva highlighted the family's ongoing struggle to correct false narratives propagated by police, including unfounded claims that de Menezes ignored challenges and wore suspicious clothing.
Extent of Undercover Operations
The inquiry, led by retired judge Sir John Mitting, is scrutinizing the conduct of approximately 139 undercover officers who infiltrated leftwing and progressive groups from 1968 to 2010. Surveillance reports revealed that undercover officer Robert Hastings attended the public launch of the family's campaign, while another officer, using the alias Simon Wellings, monitored activist reactions to the shooting for six years. Carlo Soracchi, another undercover operative, also gathered intelligence on the campaign, with his managers noting in September 2005 that he was "providing intelligence on the reaction of activists to the shooting."
Broader Implications and Police Justifications
This case is part of a wider pattern where undercover officers spied on grieving families of individuals killed by police or who died in custody, including high-profile campaigns like that for Stephen Lawrence. Police have argued that such monitoring was incidental, aimed at observing activists who might exploit these campaigns. However, da Silva described the intrusion as "disheartening and disturbing," questioning why the state would surveil peaceful expressions of grief and justice, such as flower-laying commemorations at Stockwell tube station.
