Scotland Yard today vigorously denied a report that the Metropolitan Police Commissioner’s private office knew within hours that Jean Charles de Menezes had been killed by mistake at Stockwell Tube station in July.

The precise passage of information about the shooting is the subject of inquiry by investigators in the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), who are responding to a complaint made by the de Menezes family that police officers, including Sir Ian Blair, put out misleading statements after the incident.

Sir Ian Blair has always maintained that he discovered that Mr de Menezes had been shot by mistake the morning after the shooting, which took place on July 22, the day after four would-be suicide bombers tried to attack London's transport system.

In the hours after Mr de Menezes's death, Sir Ian said that the electrician had been challenged by the police and refused to stop. A separate police statement said that the Brazilian's clothing and behaviour had attracted the suspicions of surveillance officers.

But the BBC reported today that a "senior officer" within Sir Ian's private office had told the IPCC that police were aware of the error within six hours of the incident.

The Metropolitan Police responded by stating that the allegation was false. A statement from Scotland Yard said that the officer in question, and other staff in Sir Ian's office, had denied the claim.

"We are aware of the suggestion, who made it and which officer is alleged to have had the information. This is a clearly a matter for the IPCC to clarify," the statement said.

"However, the officer in the Commissioner's Private Office has categorically denied this in his interview with, and statement to, the IPCC investigators. This has also been corroborated by other staff in the private office," it added. "We are satisfied that whatever the reasons for this suggestion being made, it is simply not true."

The IPCC refused to comment on the allegation this morning, calling it "unhelpful speculation", but a spokeswoman confirmed that the sequence of "who knew what and when" was the subject of a separate inquiry launched last year following a complaint from the de Menezes family.

"We are investigating matters raised by the family of Jean Charles de Menezes, particularly whether individuals within the Metropolitan Police Service and, or, Ian Blair, may have put out misleading or inaccurate information," said the spokeswoman.

"As part of the basis of the complaint, we are looking at who knew what and when. The BBC's claims this morning are hardly revelatory."

The inquiry into Sir Ian's conduct after the shooting and the information given out by the police, known as "Stockwell 2", is being led by Mike Grant, a senior IPCC investigator. It is expected to report at the end of April.

Since late November, it has run alongside the larger investigation into the shooting, which is currently in the hands of the Crown Prosecution Service, which is considering whether to bring charges against as many as ten officers involved in the killing.

A separate report, offering recommendations and lessons to be learnt after the shooting, was handed to the police on Tuesday.

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