Runner in vest 'mistaken for suicide bomber'

Iranian student Goudarz Karimi out running with his padded weight vest was mistaken for a suicide bomber by police in Oxford, England. He was ordered to stop running, put his hands in the air and drop everything in his hands as sub-machine guns were trained on his body. The officers carefully took off the heavily padded vest and searched it, looking for explosives and a detonator.
However, they found the Oxford University PhD student was wearing a training vest loaded with weights for added resistance when running. Mr Karimi said: "They told me 'Stop! Stop! Put your hands in the air. Drop everything you have.' "The police removed my weight vest and examined it. They started asking questions: 'What are you doing?' "They said they had a report of someone walking in a bomb suit. There were police cars and the street was blocked."

The 25-year-old was then made to remove the 30kg vest so officers could check it for explosives.
He said that when they realised it was an exercise vest they advised him to remove it to prevent any another call from a terrified member of the public.

Superintendent Amanda Pearson, of Thames Valley Police, said: "Police received a call from a member of the public who was concerned about a man walking in Southfield Road, with what he thought was a vest which may have contained explosives. " "While I appreciate that in this case being stopped and checked by the officers may have been unsettling to the gentlemen concerned, the officers were responding to a call from a member of the public who had a genuine concern and police are duty bound to investigate any calls of this nature to ensure public safety.