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I only wanted to make fairy lights, says eBay man in terror raid
Last updated at 23:07pm on 14.04.07A man who bought items on eBay to make fairylights and fireworks for a family celebration had his home raided by police because they thought he was making a bomb.
Neil Harris used the online auction site to buy a rucksack, electronic relay board and saltpetre, which has explosive properties.
But three months later, the NHS worker, who lost a leg in a motorbike crash 30 years ago, was told by a friend that police had smashed down the front door of his flat because they thought he was a terrorist.
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Explosive mix: saltpetre for sale at bargain prices on internet auction site Ebay
When Mr Harris, 49, went to the police station to try to resolve the matter, he was held for three hours and grilled as a terror suspect.
West Midlands Police had obtained a search warrant to seize "articles that could be used in the commission of terrorist offences".
Mr Harris, from Halesowen in Birmingham, said: "It was all a bit shambolic as police broke into the wrong flat. I still own that apartment in Sutton Coldfield but have put it up for sale.
"A bit of old-fashioned policing would have sorted this out. Had they made a few local enquiries, they would have realised I don't exactly fit the profile.
"The only thing I've got in common with a terrorist is not having a criminal record - and maybe having scientific hobbies.
"But it got me thinking about how they found out about what I'd bought. Do MI5 or the police monitor sites such as eBay?'
Have you spotted anything on Ebay? Tell us about it via the readers comments below
Saltpetre is the common name for potassium nitrate. As well as being an ingredient in salted meat, toothpaste and the manufacture of ice cream, it is highly explosive when mixed with sulphur and carbon. By itself, however, it is neither combustible nor flammable.
Neither the police nor eBay would reveal who provided the police with their information.
A police spokesman said: "West Midlands Police worked with eBay and other forces to collate intelligence which led to the execution of a warrant at an address. It is likely that we will refund the repairs to the property."
And a spokeswoman for eBay said: "We work closely with the police and law enforcement agencies. We cannot comment on any individual cases."
Reader views (2)
If we really had these hundeds upon hundreds of dangerous terrorists living in the UK, like government would have you believe, surely we would have bombings most days.
- Garry Anderson, Haverhill UK
Absolutely disgusting and proof of the Police State we are increasingly living under.
Mr Harris should take legal action against both eBay and the police, to find out just how his innocent transactions resulted in his privacy and his property being violated by Big Brother.
Today it's for buying Saltpetre... tomorrow it'll be those buying certain books etc...
- Bill Smith, London
