The IPCC put together a timetable of events as they investigated the aftermath of the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes by police
July 21, 2005
Attempted suicide bomb attacks on London, two weeks after July 7 attacks
July 22, 2005
10:06 De Menezes shot by police marksmen at Stockwell Underground station
10:10 His wallet, containing his identity card, and his mobile phone recovered
10:30 Sir Ian Blair, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), says he was told by Assistant Commisioner Andy Hayman that a man was shot
10:46 First MPS press release says that a man has been shot at Stockwell Underground
11:41 Second MPS press release issued, saying that a man was challenged by officers and subsequently shot
13:55 First meeting between Hayman and Blair. Hayman says no information available on identity of dead man
14:00 Photographs and numbers from Jean Charles de Menezes’s mobile phone at New Scotland Yard
14:50 Mr de Menezes’s identity card, showing his Brazilian nationality, is in the office at New Scotland Yard
15:10 Two secretaries in Sir Ian Blair’s front office are aware of the id card
15:30 Brian Paddick, Deputy Assistant Commissioner, is told: “We’ve shot a Brazilian tourist”
15:30 Sir Ian Blair tells press conference that shooting is “directly linked” to the investigation into the previous day’s failed suicide bombings
16:30 Hayman is first told that the shot man is not thought to be one of the four men being hunted after the previous day’s attempted bombings
After 16:30 Hayman tells journalists at a briefing of specialist crime reporters that the dead man was thought not to be one of four — he disputes this, saying he would not have speculated
17:00 Detective Inspector Howarth at Marylebone Police Station, who had no involvement in the investigation, was told that there had been a massive ‘cock up’ at Stockwell and a Brazilian tourist had been shot
17:07 BBC start quoting the police as saying the man was not one of the four bombers
17.00 or 18.00 (approx) Blair and Hayman and others discuss the Met’s third press release to be issued. Hayman fails to tell his boss what he has just suggested to the journalists. Blair takes personal role in preparing the release
18:44 Third press release issued, saying that it is not clear if the man was one of the four bombers. Release adds that the dead man’s clothing and behaviour of the man added to police suspicion, and that he emerged from a house that was under investigation linked to yesterday’s attempted bombings
21:45 Anti-terrorism branch formally hands over the investigation to police, after being satisfied no link to the attempted bombings
23:05 MPS fourth press release issued, saying that officers confronted a 27-year-old who was subsequently shot
23:37 MPS fifth press release issued. It says that dead man was challenged by officers, and that it is not yet clear whether he was one of the four bombers, although his clothing and behaviour added to police suspicion, and he emerged from a house that was under investigation linked to yesterday’s attempted bombings
July 23, 2005
10:15 Blair officially told identity of dead man in meeting. No longer takes role in preparing press releases
16:52 MPS sixth press release issued. It says police “think” they know identity of the dead man, and are satisfied that there is no connection with attempted bombings, although his clothing and behaviour added to police suspicion
21:28 MPS ninth press release names Jean Charles de Menezes
August 19, 2005
Sir Ian Blair says in interview in the News of the World that for 24 hours, everyone who advised him and he himself believed it a suicide bomber or suspected bomber.
August 20, 2005
Brian Paddick queries the truth of Sir Ian’s interview
November 9, 2005
Sir Ian Blair says in interview in the Guardian: “I’m quite clear that by 7.30 at night we still had nothing that was identifying him otherwise we wouldn’t have been putting out the message that we were putting out.”