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Ballistics tests have now revealed that the bullet lodged in the radio was police issue, “and, whilst it is still subject to DNA analysis, it is consistent with having been fired from” a Heckler and Koch MP5 gun used by the police.

The handgun found at the scene was a converted BBM “Bruni” self-loading pistol, an illegal weapon, but it was not used in the incident, the tests also reveal. Further examination is being carried out.

The news confirms doubts about the killing of the father of four, which raised tensions in Tottenham, an ethnically mixed area with a long history of antagonism between local residents and the police.

A peaceful protest against his death on Saturday escalated into a riot in Tottenham, and copycat violence broke out across other parts of London on Sunday, and Monday, in the worst such unrest in the British capital for decades.

Scotland Yard said it welcomed the IPCC’s update.

“It is in the interest of everyone, the family of Mr. Duggan, the public and the police, that the IPCC are able to establish to all the facts of the events of last Thursday so that there is a complete understanding of what happened,” a statement said.

“We appreciate that it is frustrating for people to have to wait for the outcome of the investigation but it is important that the investigation is full and thorough, and the MPS is doing everything possible to assist with that process.”

The police force revealed that the firearms officers involved in the incident in Tottenham were not currently being deployed, despite thousands of extra police officers being put on the streets of London on Tuesday to prevent further unrest.