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Man threatened with arrest at Heathrow for wearing Transformers T-shirt
Last updated at 14:04pm on 02.06.08
An airline passenger claimed that a security guard threatened to arrest him because he was wearing a T-shirt showing a cartoon robot with a gun.
Brad Jayakody, 30, from London, said he was stopped from passing through security at Heathrow's Terminal 5 after his Transformers T-shirt was deemed 'offensive.'
The IT consultant was set to fly off on a business trip to Dusseldorf in Germany when he was pulled to one side.
Brad Jayakody wearing the Transformers T-shift which caused offence at Heathrow
Mr Jayakody said the first guard started joking with him about the Transformers character depicted on his French Connection T-shirt.
'"Then he explains that since Megatron is holding a gun, I'm not allowed to fly,' he said.
'It's a 40ft tall cartoon robot with a gun as an arm. There is no way this shirt is offensive in any way, and what I'm going to use the shirt to pretend I have a gun?
He was cooperative with the supervisor and took off the the 'offensive' T-shirt, replacing it with another shirt in his carry on luggage.
A spokesman for Heathrow operator BAA said: 'If a T-shirt had a rude word or a bomb on it, for example, a passenger may be asked to remove it.
'We are investigating what happened to see if it came under this category.
'If it's offensive, we don't want other passengers upset.'
He said there was no record of the incident and the passenger 'certainly didn't make a formal complaint at the time.'
The Optimus Prime character on Mr Jayakody's T-shirt is the most well known of the series
Reader views (26)
This is only the beginning! People in the US & UK are starting to get what they deserve. For years now big brother policies have been brought in with the publics agreement and blessing on the pretence of anti terrorism. You reap what you sow, ... 
ENJOY!
Though not to my taste, I think it also disgusting the amount of criticism the man has had for wearing the T shirt, what all these people who criticized him are fashion gurus themselves are they, i think NOT!
Anyway in the US wearing the same T shirt might have got him tasered, especially if he did not agree to remove it with out even the slightest objection.
It appears that this Great Britian (and the US) are NOT as great as you may think!
Yes I know there are many a country around and icluding Saudi Arabia that have equally unbelievable laws regarding `offensive´ clothing, but remmember you have been criticizing these countries laws and human rights records for decades, now you the US & UK can be proud to have adopted similiar policies in the laws you pass, and the type of people you put in power to enforce them!
- John Childs, leeds england
I'm surprised they did not ask him to buy a sealed bag so they could scan it(cost £1) and then say you can buy another just like it when you get through to duty free. rip off britain and a nanny state out of control, lets all bow to who really runs this country and lose our heritage for ever!!!
- Kwikkat, Lutterworth uk
I'm quite numb. I don't know which is worse, printing this story or commenting on it.
Fact is I retire next year but I have a T shirt with Donald Duck on it which from time to time I do wear.
The thought of being subject to water board treatment worries me significantly. Do you think I should dispose of the T shirt surreptiously or take it to the police and simply surrender it?
Please help.
- John Devries, Alicante Spain
what a freedom fighting, robot loving dude.
- David Janes, london
I'm offended by the idiots who do this stuff. We are building temples where people with minimal skills can be 'all powerful' by quoting the rules and there is no right to reply. If someone was offended, so what? Nobody actually was, and they'd probably get over it...
Airports, passport offices, petrol stations; you name it - they are all now staffed with mini-Hitlers in high-vis jackets and "you must comply or face the anti-terror laws".
Sadly the war against terrorism was lost years ago when we gave away our basic freedoms and starting living in fear of a threat we don't have any sensible perception of.
- Tim Hobbs, Barnsley, South Yorkshire
We do have a right to be offended. Maybe next time I see someone with a T-shirt pertaining to Christianity I'll say I'm offended, or someone with a bible. People abuse the freedoms we are given too much in this world today.
- Jeremy King, Las Vegas, NV
They are so concerned about hypothetical passengers being offended, that they're quite eager to offend a real-live, flesh-and-blood person.
Seems like our priorities are off. Why do we offend the real to protect the imaginary.
- John Galt, USA
I thought it was just our country that was this thin skinned.
- Jeff W, USA
I m more interested in why a 30 year old man is wearing a transformer t-shirt to begin with?
- Rene Orillac, Texas
Why is our right to be offended being infringed?
- Fishizzle, Ames, USA
He keeps saying Megatron when it is Optimus Prime. Does he even know what shirt he is wearing?
- M. Corvin, Tulsa, USA
Wow, how ridiculous can you get? Talk about being void of common sense!
- Steve, Virginia, USA
I can't believe he made it past the fashion police.
If I were the cop, I would pull him aside and let him in on the secret of push ups and sit ups in the morning...
- Tex, Laguna Beach, USA
Are you serious? A drawing of me with my gun was deemed offensive? People on your planet are a bunch of pansies.
- Optimus Prime, Cybertron
I feel safer knowing this man will not be flying with that shirt. There's no telling what could of happened if he wore that shirt on the plane. He could of cut the gun off the front of the shirt and then pretended the gun was real and hijacked the plane with his cloth gun.
Cloth guns have been a problem here in the states for a long time. It all started when we elected our President. He has a cloth brain.
- Brady, Virginia, United States
A 30 year old wearing a "Transformers" t-shirt? I reckon that's offensive enough to prevent someone boarding. Grow up man, act your age.
And being from French Connection doesn't make it any more acceptable.
- Md, London, UK
Give a man a peaked cap, and he'll blind you with health-and-safety or data-protection or global-warming or other clap-trap. And who are these people?
Just what exactly are our politicians doing these days, apart from fiddling their expenses? It's time for some good old-fashioned law to be laid down in our communities.
- Haskey, London SE1
Ermm... the bloke is 30. He's wearing a t-shirt on a business trip. It depicts a child's toy.
There is a problem here, and it has nothing to do with airport security....
- Rob, London
Well Iam glad the security were doing their jobs properly. This guy was trying to smuggle a Transformer T-shirt onto a flight! Can you imagine what would have happened if he had succeeded in his evil plot? Minutes into the flight it would have transformed into a giant mechanised engine of death and destruction, don't any of you go to the movies? How would you like it if someone sat next to you, on your next flight, was wearing an Alien T-shirt like John Hurt?
- Gary, Kilburn
He's a grown man wearing a 'Transformers' Tee Shirt!
One wonders which cartoon character he has on his duvet and pyjamas.
- George, London
Maybe it was the fashion police... they certainly made the right call. Unfortunately he seems to be persisting with his crime!
- Richard, London
How stupid do you have to be actually to think that the t-shirt is offensive?! What happened to common sense? Poppinjays like the security card to a slap. That would be offensive (although not unwarranted).
- Zaphod, Any planet but this one
It's hardly surprising considering that most airport security workers appear to have only marginally more intelligence than a lobotomized newt. However, I'm sure that appearance is deceptive and Heathrow really only employs the best and brightest Britain has to offer.
- Nick, London
I'm still waiting for the first person to be arrested under the new paedophilia laws for wearing a manga t shirt.
- Akira Gundam, Streatham
Pity he caved in so easily to the Nazi Stormtroopers.
- Neil, london uk
This is ridiculous. I personally find people travelling in track suits, trainers and a baseball cap offensive - that should ensure plenty of space on my holiday flight this summer.
- Paul, London
