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'One year on and the police still won't say why they shot me.. or even apologise' EXCLUSIVE TERROR RAID VICTIM'S ANGUISH.


Byline: By STEWART MACLEAN

THE Muslim shot in a botched botch  
tr.v. botched, botch·ing, botch·es
1. To ruin through clumsiness.

2. To make or perform clumsily; bungle.

3. To repair or mend clumsily.

n.
1.
 terror raid yesterday said police have yet to apologise or explain why they targeted him.

Mohammed Kahar, 24, said his life has been torn apart since armed officers stormed his home a year ago.

Police blasted him in the chest and held him and brother Abdul Koyair, 21, for nine days before letting them go.

Twelve months on - despite officers admitting the raid was a mistake - the brothers are baffled as to why they were confused as suspected bombers.

In their first interview since their ordeal, Mohammed said Both the name Mohammed and the name Said can be romanized in several ways. This page attempts to link all articles about people with this name, irrespective of spelling variants:

Mohamad Said
: "I could never understand why they shot me and raided our house. But in doing so they changed our lives forever.

"I was half asleep and my brother and I were only in T-shirts and boxers.

"They could see we posed no threat, so there was no need to almost kill me."

He added: "All we really want is an apology. Since the day they released us without charge we haven't heard anything from the police. If someone would pick up the phone or write us a letter to say sorry then that would make all the difference in the world."

Abdul added: "We know police have a tough job but they cannot continue charging into operations on faulty intelligence. And if they do make mistakes they have to apologise."

Since the raid, Mohammed has been unable to return to the house in Forest Gate, East London East London, city (1991 pop. 240,474), Eastern Cape, SE South Africa, on the Indian Ocean. The city grew around a British military post founded in 1847. Its harbor was developed from 1886, and today it is a leading South African port. .

He has depression, mobility problems and is too ill to work.

He said: "I grew up in that house since I was two but I don't think I can go back.

"The police shot me through the chest and the bullet came out the back of my shoulder. How can I go back there knowing what they did to me?

"I used to love my work and did about 60 hours a week for the Royal Mail but now I'm on anti-depressants which means I'm not allowed to drive.

"My right shoulder's numb numb (num) anesthetic (1).

numb
adj.
1. Being unable or only partially able to feel sensation or pain; deadened or anesthetized.

2.
 where the bullet slashed nerves and I'm also wary of going out - there's a stigma attached to people who've been arrested."

Mohammed and Tesco worker Abdul were asleep when armed police kicked in their front door last June. Within seconds Mohammed had been shot and both men dragged outside while their terrified ter·ri·fy  
tr.v. ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing, ter·ri·fies
1. To fill with terror; make deeply afraid. See Synonyms at frighten.

2. To menace or threaten; intimidate.
 family watched.

Mohammed said: "The first thing I heard was my brother screaming. I left my room and I heard a bang and collapsed. I had no idea I'd been shot but then there was blood soaking through my T-shirt.

"None of them was wearing uniform so I'd no idea who they were. They were just yelling 'Shut the f**k up'."

Police briefings suggested the brothers were involved in a bomb plot. But the pair said they were never once quizzed over the allegations.

Abdul said: "We were questioned by 20 maybe 30 different people. They even asked whether I was a member of the Ku Klux Klan Ku Klux Klan (k' klŭks klăn), designation mainly given to two distinct secret societies that played a part in American history, although other less important groups have also used , the white extremists. They seemed dead serious.

"They'd never once asked us about that ridiculous plot."

During their time in custody police tore apart the family's terraced home.

Met bosses promised to repair damage but the brothers yesterday said there are still serious problems inside. The pair now live next door.

A senior officer apologised to the community for the blunder but has not made a formal apology to the family.

The officer who fired the bullet was cleared of misconduct and an Independent Police Complaints Commission report ruled police had been right to raid the property after they got an inaccurate tip-off. But its chiefs ordered police bosses to apologise.

The issue of compensation and an apology is set to be decided in August.

stewart.maclean@mirror.co.uk

CAPTION(S):

ORDEAL: Abdul Koyair, left, and Mohammed Kahar yesterday and, right, the raid Picture: TIM ANDERSON Tim Anderson may be:
  • Tim Anderson (Zork), game programmer
  • Tim Anderson, Australian criminal defendant in Sydney Hilton bombing, academic and activist
  • Tim Anderson (defensive back), American football player
; INJURED: Mohammed
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Publication:The Mirror (London, England)
Date:Jun 4, 2007
Words:648
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