ONE of the police firearms officers who killed Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell tube station has shot dead a suspected armed robber in Kent.

The 41-year-old suspect, named by police as Robert Haines, died in hospital following the incident at the Nationwide building society at New Romney, near Hythe, on Tuesday night.

Mr de Menezes, 27, an innocent Brazilian electrician, was shot dead after police mistook him for a suicide bomber at Stockwell Tube station in July 2005.

Margaret Gilmore, the BBC's home and legal affairs correspondent, said: "Sources have told me one of two officers who shot dead the innocent Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell last year also shot and injured a man during this operation."

The police officer involved had been taken off firearms work after the Stockwell shooting but returned to armed duty after the Crown Prosecution Service decided he would not be prosecuted.

Scotland Yard confirmed a police officer involved in the New Romney incident had been relieved of firearms duties, pending an inquiry.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has also begun an investigation into the shooting.

Three men were arrested and a sawn-off shotgun was recovered during the operation but no officers were injured.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: "The Specialist Firearms team (CO19) involved in the Flying Squad operation in Kent did include officers from the same team who were involved in the Stockwell shooting in July last year.

"The Met has a small cadre of specialist highly-trained firearms officers who last year were deployed to 2,529 incidents and were involved in 938 pre-planned operations.

"They perform an extremely difficult but vital function responding to armed threats against the public and their unarmed colleagues and it is extremely rare for officers to fire their guns.

"As is proper the IPCC is conducting an independent investigation into the shooting. Their enquiries are ongoing but they have confirmed that a firearm was recovered at the scene.

"It is deeply regrettable when anyone dies as a result of police action."