London: The Terror Returns – Cops Use the Israeli Technique Jul 23 2005
Police at Stockwell Tube station appear to have used similar tactics to those deployed against suicide bombers in the Middle East, a terrorism expert said.
Professor Paul Rogers, of Bradford University, said the Met's armed officers' actions appeared to have parallels with methods used by Israeli security forces and US troops in Iraq.
He said: 'The tactics the Met appear to have used this morning are very similar to the very tough tactics that the Israelis use against suspected suicide bombers.'
In the Middle East, security forces tend not to shoot suspects in the chest or abdomen because of the risk of detonating explosives on bombers' waistcoats.
Prof Rogers said: 'To be blunt, they go for a head shot.
'If they think somebody is a potential suicide bomber about to detonate, they try to kill them immediately.
'The Israelis' tendency to shoot first is very much the pattern the Americans use in Iraq.
'American forces tend to open fire at an early stage.'
Israeli forces also use remote control robot senors to examine suspected bombers.
Shoot-to-kill became highly controversial when it was exposed as a counter-insurgency measure in Northern Ireland.
The probe into six killings where shoot-to-kill was suspected sparked a scandal when chair John Stalker was removed from the inquiry amid cover-up claims.
Carl