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Afghan royal: Anti-terror police twice singled me out for arrest
Ted Hynds25.09.09
A junior member of the Afghan royal family was targeted as a suspected terrorist by police.
Feroze Shaheed, 26, was arrested outside St Pancras Eurostar terminal six weeks ago and questioned for 13 hours before being released. It was the second time in three months his battered Ford Escort had been stopped at the station by anti-terrorism officers.
Mr Shaheed, a business student who lives near the station, was arrested after police searched the car and found a credit card in a woman's name and documents from Pakistan. He told officers he had lent the car to a friend and that they belonged to the man's girlfriend.
He was taken to a police station for questioning and his flat was searched before he was released on bail.
Although no charges were made his custody record showed that police investigated possible terror links with Afghanistan and Pakistan, money laundering and theft. On the eve of his bail renewal he was told no further action would be taken.
Mr Shaheed claims he was a victim of police bungling and says his family —cousins of Afghanistan's last king, Zahir Shah, who was deposed in 1973 — would never be involved in terrorism. His father is Sardar Shaheed, an adviser to president Hamid Karzai.
“It's true I am a Muslim but I don't have a beard, I wear Western clothes and I have Christian friends. I resent being painted as a terrorist suspect.
“We were the country's ruling family. We are more likely to be the targets of the Taliban or al Qaeda. I understand the need for heightened security measures, but what happened to me was unjustified. On each occasion an officer stepped out into the road and flagged me down. I was told it was a routine check but I didn't believe them. They identified themselves as anti-terrorist officers, and those people don't carry out anything routine.
“They singled me out. I was questioned for hours. I gave them a complete explanation for everything. I had nothing to hide so it was very worrying to learn I was a suspected terrorist.”
Mr Shaheed is worried about the effect his arrest could have on his family and his future. “I am here legitimately as a business studies student. I have a computer science degree and plan to return to my country. This could do me untold damage back in Afghanistan.”
His lawyer Alex Tribick, who won £706,000 from the Home Office for Colin Stagg, wrongly suspected of the murder of Rachel Nickell in 1992, said: “My client feels he was being persecuted on the flimsiest of evidence. He has provided a perfectly reasonable explanation for the material taken by the police and co-operated with them fully. Considering the sensitivity of the allegations it is surprising this matter was dealt with in such a heavy-handed way.”
A British Transport Police spokesman said: “A search revealed Mr Shaheed to be in possession of a credit card that officers had reason to believe was suspicious. Further investigation found the card to be legitimate. No further action will be taken.”
