Raid Brothers Tell of Death Fears

[Protected_Diamond]

'He looked at me and shot. As soon as he had eye contact, he shot me'

· Brothers tell of moment officers raided their home
· Police apology two weeks after Forest Gate alert

Hugh Muir




First he heard a scream. The next thing Mohammed Abdulkayar remembered was making eye contact in the darkness with the man who stood at the bottom of the stairs. At that instant, without warning and, he says, without provocation, the police officer fired a shot which tore through his chest and exited through his right shoulder. He slumped against the wall, bleeding and senseless.

Yesterday, three days after he was released without charge having been arrested and held for more than a week under the Terrorism Act, Mr Abdulkayar, 23, gave his account of the events which have devastated his family and plunged an already beleaguered Scotland Yard into even deeper crisis.

Speaking at an emotional news conference just half a mile from his now deserted family home in Forest Gate, east London, Mr Abdulkayar said: "I believe the only crime I have committed is being Asian and having a long length beard. He looked at me straight away and shot. As soon as I turned the steps and we both had eye contact he shot me.

"All my life I just wanted to work and feed my family and support my mum and dad. I work over 50 to 60 hours a week and for them to come into my house like that, to shoot me in my chest and to say I am a terrorist - that really hurts."

Visibly distressed, with his wound still bandaged and with his arm in a sling, Mr Abdulkayar gave his first full account of the events of June 2.

"I was awoken by the screams of my younger brother," he said. "They were screams that I had never heard. I got out of bed in my boxer shorts and as I opened the door it was all dark. I assumed that a robbery was happening." He progressed down the passageway.

"As I took the first step down the stairs I turned around to look. I saw an orange spark and heard a big bang. I flew onto the wall and slipped down." He saw blood. "I could see the hole in my chest. At that moment I knew I was shot."

He said two officers came towards him. "There was an object flying right in my face. I didn't know what it was but I know now that it was the gun that they tried to hit me over the face with.

"I was begging the police 'please, please, I can't breathe'. He just kicked me in my face and kept on saying 'shut the **** up'. One of the officers slapped me over the face. I thought they were either going to start shooting me again or were going to shoot my brother. I still didn't know that it was the police because they hadn't said a word about police."

Mr Abdulkayar says he was dragged down the stairs and eventually carried to hospital where he heard detectives pleading with doctors to release him for questioning. "I said if you feel pressurised don't discharge me. He [the doctor] said he was going to keep me in for four to five days. Then they had a meeting and he said 'no you are going tomorrow'."

He said he felt let down, as did his brother Abul Koyair, 20 who was also arrested during the raid.

He described interrogation at Paddington Green high security police station. "They kept on asking questions about my family: 'is your name Jamal Uddin? Is your name Abu Hamza? Do you know this and that person?' In the beginning I was furious because I didn't know the reason why I had been arrested."

Detectives, he said, read him a list of extremist organisations. "I didn't recognise any of them until they said in the middle 'al-Qaida'. I said the only one I have heard of - on TV and everything - is al-Qaida."

He said he condemned violence of any sort. "Violence is not in my nature. It is not in my religion. Islam has got nothing to do with that. Islam is peace. The word Islam means peace."

His brother, a supermarket worker, said the entire family was brutalised. "They tried to murder my brother. There were about three officers carrying guns surrounding me and pointing them at me. I saw my mum coming out shouting and screaming 'my son, my son'. I kept shouting and screaming to the officers 'please tell me if my family is OK?' They would not answer me."

He said his family had at one time backed his attempt to become a police community support officer, but such a thing was now unthinkable. "They don't want me to be associated with the police. My mum and dad don't trust the police any more."

Asad Rehman, chair of Newham Monitoring Project, said both men had also been "smeared" by the media. He said claims that Mr Koyair attended an extremist demonstration and that both have criminal records are untrue.

Irene Nembhard, a lawyer for the brothers' family, said their home had been extensively damaged. Holes have been drilled in all of the walls, tiles have been lifted and cavities searched. "There is a sense that what was once a family home is now a forensic scene. It is a very eerie scene."

Scotland Yard finally issued an apology for hurt caused by the raid yesterday. The Metropolitan police assistant commissioner Andy Hayman said the force had "listened intently" to the concerns of those affected.

"I am aware that in mounting this operation we have caused disruption and inconvenience to many residents in Newham and more importantly those that reside at 46 and 48 Lansdown Road," he said. "I apologise for the hurt that we may have caused."
SOURCE: The Guardian

[x Maz x]

:'(:'( SubhanAllah I heard them, they were close to tears, Allah ease their pains and make the trials of this world and Akhirah easy for them, Blair backed the police up and now he has ta face them, Look wah he done and these laws fair?, Yeh sure these bredas fink they hunka dory fine shine purleeeeeees Gve it a rest ...Waslaams and Ameen x

[Muezzin]

Allah ease their pains and make the trials of this world and Akhirah easy for them

Ameen.

And it's good Scotland Yard apologised. It would be infinitely better if this didn't even happen in the first place of course.

[Goku]

May Allah ease their pains, Ameen.

[Pk_#2]

:'(:'( Allah ease their pains and make the trials of this world and Akhirah easy for them

Ameen. :'(

[Protected_Diamond]

warhmatulahi wabarakathu

Ameen to the duas! Allah swa test those whom he loves Subhana' Allah

warhmatulahi wabarakathu

[root]

Speaking at an emotional news conference just half a mile from his now deserted family home in Forest Gate, east London, Mr Abdulkayar said: "I believe the only crime I have committed is being Asian and having a long length beard.

Has Kahar conveniently forgot his two year sentence at a young offenders institution for false inprisonment and has a string of offences for robbery, burglary, posession of an offensive weapon and theft. Further, the elder brother of Kahar & Koyair were arrested for three armed robberies and Koyair's elder brother was jailed for six years.

it's a shame I think that they never took the oppurtunity to clear up why they had £38,000 in £50.00 notes stashed in the bedroom, considering the links to armed robbery within the family perhaps an oppurtunity to dispel any fear that the money is dirty. A reason I think why armed police were involved.

[Mohsin]

Has Kahar conveniently forgot his two year sentence at a young offenders institution for false inprisonment and has a string of offences for robbery, burglary, posession of an offensive weapon and theft. Further, the elder brother of Kahar & Koyair were arrested for three armed robberies and Koyair's elder brother was jailed for six years.

it's a shame I think that they never took the oppurtunity to clear up why they had £38,000 in £50.00 notes stashed in the bedroom, considering the links to armed robbery within the family perhaps an oppurtunity to dispel any fear that the money is dirty. A reason I think why armed police were involved.

Have you watched the interview? They made it clear that both of them do not have any criminal record. Newspapers tell lies. Can you bring s source of prrof for these alleged crimes

[sonz]

Has Kahar conveniently forgot his two year sentence at a young offenders institution for false inprisonment and has a string of offences for robbery, burglary, posession of an offensive weapon and theft. Further, the elder brother of Kahar & Koyair were arrested for three armed robberies and Koyair's elder brother was jailed for six years.

it's a shame I think that they never took the oppurtunity to clear up why they had £38,000 in £50.00 notes stashed in the bedroom, considering the links to armed robbery within the family perhaps an oppurtunity to dispel any fear that the money is dirty. A reason I think why armed police were involved.

and yet again we have those who do not want to condemn the action of the police but try to give suspision to these muslims who were wronged.

its sickening

[Mohsin]

and yet again we have those who do not want to condemn the action of the police but try to give suspision to these muslims who were wronged.

its sickening

I know i was shocked to read Roots post, couldn't believe it. i wonder if he'll apologise and admit he was wrong

[Sis786]

[B][COLOR="DarkGreen"]
"All my life I just wanted to work and feed my family and support my mum and dad. I work over 50 to 60 hours a week and for them to come into my house like that, to shoot me in my chest and to say I am a terrorist - that really hurts."

That Hurts me too,:'(

[Muezzin]

Has Kahar conveniently forgot his two year sentence at a young offenders institution for false inprisonment and has a string of offences for robbery, burglary, posession of an offensive weapon and theft. Further, the elder brother of Kahar & Koyair were arrested for three armed robberies and Koyair's elder brother was jailed for six years.

it's a shame I think that they never took the oppurtunity to clear up why they had £38,000 in £50.00 notes stashed in the bedroom, considering the links to armed robbery within the family perhaps an oppurtunity to dispel any fear that the money is dirty. A reason I think why armed police were involved.

And yet, you don't have a leg to stand on as the reason the police were there in the first place was on the grounds that the brothers were alleged terrorists. The shooting can't just be retroactively justified.

[Ghazi]

Has Kahar conveniently forgot his two year sentence at a young offenders institution for false inprisonment and has a string of offences for robbery, burglary, posession of an offensive weapon and theft. Further, the elder brother of Kahar & Koyair were arrested for three armed robberies and Koyair's elder brother was jailed for six years.

it's a shame I think that they never took the oppurtunity to clear up why they had £38,000 in £50.00 notes stashed in the bedroom, considering the links to armed robbery within the family perhaps an oppurtunity to dispel any fear that the money is dirty. A reason I think why armed police were involved.

Your just sad that he was innocent so that's why your bringing this up which has nothing to do with the cliam against them.

[Mohsin]

Your just sad that he was innocent so that's why your bringing this up which has nothing to do with the cliam against them.

Its a shame, he still ain't apologised

[Umar001]

Ameen to the duas for the brothers.

But..I dont get it, didnt that article thing jus state that Islam means peace?
Aint that wrong?

Im confused.

I hope no muslims are detered from practicing islam and hope they are not driven to shave their beards.

[x Maz x]

This is pathetic, Daym breda have some respect yeesh, these bredas goin through a rought patch and you sink to low hateful remarks? Pshhh, shame that, SubhanAllah why pubblicise their sins? *Do you want meh to tell em how u teefed some biscuits as a boy from tha bakers:X*...Nah but please have a heart ..their livelihoods were destroyed on the basis that the police and Mi5 had sufficient evidence showing they were alleged terrorists ...yh waheva! Peace x

[Mohsin]

Ameen to the duas for the brothers.

But..I dont get it, didnt that article thing jus state that Islam means peace?
Aint that wrong?

Im confused.

.

Whats the problem akhi, one of the root words from which islam comes means peace.

I hope no muslims are detered from practicing islam and hope they are not driven to shave their beards

Ameen bro. insha'allah bro's will realise it's all a test from Allah