TERROR SUSPECT - COMMENTS

I back the police action 100% in this case. As sad as it is, if the chap was innocent the fact remains that the day after four terrorists tried to massacre another group of innocent people, he ignored the challenges of three armed officers and ran straight down into the Tube and onto a train. What were they to think he was up to and what would people say if he had detonated a device and killed people? Hindsight is wonderful; it's just a pity that we don't have it at the crucial moment. Mark

Has anyone stopped to spare a thought for the officer concerned? No officer gets up in the morning with a yearning to shoot someone. The last thing we need to do is resort to our usual blame culture. It's a fine line we are treading, and those that stand in judgment of others may do well to consider how they would have acted or indeed if they would have been prepared to act in order to protect the lives of others. Neil

It seems that there is no question that this man did not understand the command to stop when challenged, as his cousin confirms that he spoke English. In today's climate in London, if you act in such a manner and resist any attempts to be stopped by the police, then I am afraid that you have to face the consequences. Whilst deploring any loss of innocent life, this incident highlights the pressures the police are under and the instant decisions they have to make to defend the public. Stuart

If these guys are prosecuted because of their actions, I hope all armed policemen hand in their licenses. Their job will have gone from being phenomenally difficult to being impossible. As unfortunate as this man's death has been, I fully believe the police were only acting in the best interests of the public. Gareth

It is so easy for armchair critics to offer wise advice after the event. There should be no witch hunt or scapegoating of the police. I hope they will robustly defend their actions and not be demoralised to the point of inefficiency as is happening to the army as a result of prosecutions for live/death decisions taken in stressed conditions. David

This death is sad and we feel for his family, however, anybody who runs from the police into a Tube station in the current environment should expect a deadly response. The police responded appropriately in difficult circumstances to protect the public. Andrew

It is a disgrace that people are criticising the police. They are dealing with a national emergency and preventing the loss of further lives. If anyone carrying a bag on the Tube is running from the police and ignores their orders to stop then they ought to be shot. The lives of hundreds of innocent civilians must be paramount. Simon

After reading the comments about the Stockwell Tube shooting, I completely agree with the actions taken by the British police and would support the same action if it were taken in Australia. The suggested use of an electrical stun gun may have triggered any explosive and the handcuffing of a fanatic, possibly carrying a bomb, would be fraught with danger. It is a war we're fighting and the enemy is not playing by any rules of engagement. Support your police, they are doing it for you. Lindsay

The police had no option, the man could have been a suicide bomber. They could not afford to take chances with the lives of innocent people at stake. He should have obeyed the police when challenged. I E

While thoughts must be with the family of the man who was shot, I also feel for the policeman who had to make the decision to shoot, and pray that he will not be made a scapegoat. He did what he felt was right at the time given the information available to him and only seconds to weigh up the risks and to react accordingly. Pat

With innocent lives at risk, the police cannot afford to take chances with suspicious people who run away when challenged. It's easy with hindsight to accuse them of being too hasty, but haste is unavoidable when you might have a suicide bomber among dozens of people on a tube train. There's no time to interview the suspect, there's just action. If people want someone to blame for this, blame the terrorists who have made such actions necessary. Jennifer

It's shocking to hear about something like this happening in London. The logical thing to do once they had him pinned down would to have handcuffed him, not shoot him five times. Kate

A situation like this demands firm and decisive action. It sends a message to all who are on the fringe to keep clear and for those real terrorists that there is no mercy. Inevitably, there will be mistakes but in a war this is the result of a fanatic minority trying to impose their will on all others. Peter

He had a choice - he could have stopped. Jumping over barriers to get away is not normal behaviour - sorry. I thank the police for protecting the general public from what could have been a very serious incident. If we don't let the police do their job we may all live to regret it. Jacqueline