DUBAI: British police stopped a man who was dressed in Yemeni-styled clothing after reports he was carrying a “huge knife” as he walked through a busy shopping street in the center of Liverpool.
Eyewitnesses told the local newspaper, the Echo, that shoppers were sent into a state of panic after seeing the knife sticking out of his clothing.
One man told the newspaper: “I was sitting eating lunch when I saw a man walking through town with a massive knife sticking out of his clothing... I was in a panic and phoned the police.”
The man was quickly surrounded by members of the public and security guards from nearby shops, police arrived shortly after, and were able to take the knife from the man who showed no resistance.
A police spokesman was quoted as saying they confiscated the knife and said: “he (the man) was dressed in ceremonial clothing and wasn’t committing any offense.”
There have been three high profile attacks in the UK in Manchester and London, including knife attacks and tensions are running high.
According to the newspaper, the police provided the man with a reference number and explained to him that he could collect it later in the day.
It is illegal in the UK to carry a knife in public without good reason. The officers told the man that it was “not appropriate” to carry the knife through public areas.
