Most reports originally implied that Menezes was unlucky that he lived in the same block of flats as some terrorists, and that therefore his death was a tragic accident.
Today's Independent still gives this impression:
He had the misfortune to live in the same block as the suspected 21 July bombers.
Meanwhile, questions have been raised about the accuracy of the police intelligence that led to the raid on the block of flats occupied by de Menezes. It was initially suggested that the flat was connected to the man known as Hussein Osman, who was arrested in Italy. On the Saturday after the shooting, officers raided the flat in a high-profile operation watched by the world's media. As a result, a man, identified only as 'C', was arrested 'on suspicion of the commission, instigation or preparation of acts of terrorism'. But he was released on 30 July with no charge, raising the possibility that the flats had no connection with the bombings.
Also from the Observer article:
Senior sources in the Metropolitan Police have told The Observer that members of the surveillance team who followed de Menezes into Stockwell underground station in London felt that he was not about to detonate a bomb, was not armed and was not acting suspiciously. It was only when they were joined by armed officers that his threat was deemed so great that he was shot seven times.
Sources said that the surveillance officers wanted to detain de Menezes, but were told to hand over the operation to the firearms team.
The two teams have fallen out over the circumstances surrounding the incident, raising fresh questions about how the operation was handled.
A police source said: 'There is no way those three guys would have been on the train carriage with him [de Menezes] if they believed he was carrying a bomb. Nothing he did gave the surveillance team the impression that he was carrying a device.'