A BBC reporter in the UK was pinned to the ground by six policemen and searched under the Terrorism Act after his radio transmitter was mistaken for bomb equipment, says a report in the Telegraph. Max Khan, a correspondent for BBC Radio Stoke, was made to kneel down with his face to the floor in the centre of Hanley, Staffs.
Police moved in on Khan after several shoppers raised concerns about an "Arabic-looking man" who was "acting suspiciously" outside the Potteries Shopping Centre on Monday. The reporter had been on his way back from making a bulletin about a local post office that had recently moved from the centre of the town when officers surrounded him and shouted at him to "get on the floor". He was wearing a rucksack that contained his radio equipment and had several wires and aerials protruding from the top.
Some details:
After the search, police apologised and handed him a stop-search notice that described him as having a dark beard and dark hair. Mr Khan said he initially felt "embarrassment" and "humiliation" about the way that he had been treated.
He added: "It then moved on to fear of what could have happened and a bit of anger as well. You get the apologies at the scene from officers, but you still feel that maybe there could have been better intelligence or something. It seems somewhat basic to be treated in that way just because of the colour of your skin."
