Raid brother tells of death fears
The two brothers who were arrested and held by police for over a week after a raid in the Forest Gate district of London, spoke for the first time today about their ordeal at the hands of the Metropolitan Police.
It's harrowing stuff and can only increase calls for Sir Ian Blair to resign.
At one point Mr Kahar broke down in tears as he described the raid, involving 250 police, which he initially thought was a robbery.
He described the moment when he was shot. "We both had eye contact, he shot me straight away," he said. "I just saw an orange spark and a big bang. I flew into the wall, slipped down. There was blood coming down my chest. I knew I was shot.
He then tells how an officer tried to hit him in the face with a gun and how he was slapped as he lay wounded. The police then dragged him downstairs with force and threw him onto the street. It was only at this time that he realised that it was Police who were behind the raid when he saw 250 officers outside his home.
His brother, Abul Koyair, also gave his version of what happened.
"All of a sudden my brother went down the second sets of stairs and I heard a loud bang, and it was a big flash and then after that everything was so quiet," he said.
"No-one said nothing, I thought it was like a dream at first, no-one was speaking, saying anything.
"After about one, two minutes I realised that this is not a dream. I realised that my own brother got shot for no reason."
When one listens to their tale it is simply beyond belief that the police have yet to give either of these men an apology for what they have done.
Everyone understands that the police feel they had no choice other than to act upon intelligence given to them. Leaving aside the pros and cons of that argument, and there are many; nevertheless - when the information turns out to be flat wrong - the police surely can see that it in their best interests to issue an immediate and unreserved apology?
By adopting the stance they have in this case, they have turned a mistake into a PR nightmare, where they look both arrogant and aloof, as if the work they are engaged in makes them above criticism.
As one of the brothers states, "The only crime I have committed is being Asian and having a long beard."
Police need to counter that belief either by charging people, which in this case they obviously won't as they got it wrong, or by apologising immediately.
Promising more of the same as Met Deputy Andy Hayman did, simply shows that the police have no idea of how badly this is playing for them.
Mr Kahar said, "I want everyone that was involved, whoever gave the order for the raid to happen, for the shot to go off, everyone involved to apologise."
It doesn't seem a lot to ask.
Read the BBC version here, although I would strongly suggest clicking on the video link on the same page and watching the whole thing.
4 comments:
Kel, fear breeds arrogance, and arrogance breeds hate and..well, we can go around in circles can't we? Good for you to pound on this situation as it is disgraceful! Those poor men. And you are so right, even if the police thought they were acting on a solid tip, you'd think that once they found out they were wrong that they'd profusely apologize in order to save credibility and, oh here's a thought, as you said, it's the decent thing to do!
Cha..
Ingrid
(those couple of days must've done you good, you're back in full force!)
Thanks Ingrid.
The behaviour of the police is beyond belief in this case.
It must be awful to be a Muslim living in Britain. Not only do you have to fear suicide bombers every time you face a journey on the tube, you go through life with everyone suspecting you as a possible bomber simply because of the colour of your skin.
I know this because, if I'm honest, I catch myself doing it on the underground. I check whether or not people of a certain skin colour are carrying backpacks.
It's an awful confession, but we all subconsciously do it.
I don't understand why there had to be 250 police officers at the raid?! That is a ridiculous amount. They're going into a house for god's sake, not a nuclear plant! They deserve more than a public apology.
Kel, it's one thing to be on the look out for suspicious activity and it's another to committ a mistake like this and not apologize. I am a Muslim woman in the US and I find myself on the look out as well in the subway. But there's a difference between being on the lookout for any suspicious activity, and just stalking anyone who looks remotely Muslim. Thanks for bringing this to our attention
Thanks Moi.
And yes 250 police officers descended on a house in London. It takes your breath away that they can be this heavy handed, especially at a time when we most need the co-operation of the Muslim community.
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