Armed police mistake weighted gym vest for suicide bomb in Manchester
Armed police on the outskirts of Manchester in the UK made a huge blunder after mistaking a man in a weighted gym vest as a highly dangerous suicide bomber.
The police were called to the scene by worried members of the public on March 20th, who had called the emergency services about the man in the curious attire.
The individual was subsequently detained by officers in the vicinity of an outdoor gym in Salford, Manchester, after police ambushed the man caught completely unawares.
He was forced into the classic position, with his hands on his head to show that he posed no imminent threat. Other online footage shows that the police had called in sniper units to cover from behind the trees.
Greater Manchester Police have since shared in a statement: “We received a report of a suspicious male on Bristol Street, Salford, at around 11:52am today.”
The statement went on, “Officers attended and quickly established that the individual was wearing a weighted gym vest and carrying a skipping rope while exercising at an outdoor gym.”
Thankfully, they concluded, “This was a false alarm, and there is no threat to the wider community.”
The park in which the innocent man was taken into custody lies at the centre of Salford’s Jewish community, and is a mile from Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, which was the site of a terror attack last October.
Therefore, reports online share that it is likely the police were anticipating a form of terrorism and were particularly on guard against suicide bombers. Unfortunately for the man, who wore a grey t-shirt and shorts for his outdoor exercise regime, the weighted vest he had chosen looked suspiciously like a bomb.
Reports suggest that the man appeared completely “calm” in the midst of the nightmarish turn of events. Nobody was hurt in the confusion, and the situation is now fully resolved.