The man was photographed with his hands on his head at Mandley Park (Image: X)
A father who was surrounded by police snipers in a false alarm has revealed how he was terrified as armed officers shouted at him to get on the ground. The man, in his 40s, was pictured on his knees with his hands on his head amid the dramatic scenes at Mandley Park in Salford.
Despite the frightening misunderstanding, the man — speaking on the condition of anonymity over fears for his safety — said he told the police “it’s better safe than sorry » and praised the coppers for how they treated him. The incident unfolded following reports of a “suspicious male” in a vest, carrying what some feared was a cable or “wires”, at the park in the Higher Broughton area at around 11.52am on Friday. Panic spread online as dozens of images and videos quickly circulated, with false claims he was wearing a « suicide bomb » or « bomb vest ».
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The man as he was surrounded by police in Mandley Park, Salford (Image: X)
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) later confirmed it was a “false alarm” and that the man was wearing a “weighted gym vest” and carrying a skipping rope while exercising at the park which has an outdoor gym.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, the man said: « I was scared when I heard police shouting. They said to me ‘lie down’. I didn’t think it was for me, but there were no other people around me.
« One said ‘shoot him if he moves’, or something like that. The colleague was saying to the other ‘shoot him’ a few times. I lie down, just do whatever they tell me and I see a helicopter over my head. »
Greater Manchester Police confirmed the incident was a ‘false alarm’ (Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
The father, who moved from Albania to the UK 25 years ago, said he was using his skipping rope and vest as he exercised as usual.
The man, who said Mandley Park is one of his preferred workout spots, said he wears the weighted vest “everywhere” after being urged to get fit by his doctor.
He explained: « I wear it everywhere I go. I have type 2 diabetes and a problem with my heart. The doctor told me to work out and exercise because I was overweight.
« So I train. I go to the gym, I go to the park just to exercise. But yesterday was one of them [days]. I wear that vest everywhere when I exercise. It’s not just me, I see many people using that vest. »
The area is home to one of the country’s biggest Jewish communities.
Images and footage of the man being surrounded by armed officers rapidly spread on social media, with scores of false captions.
The man told the Manchester Evening News he kept calm as best he could while cooperating with officers.
He added: « Somebody has called the police, they were worried that I had got a vest. I was skipping at this point.
« The police were thinking it was a bomb or something… whatever the person that called them had said. They told me to leave my phone on the floor and lie down. I did whatever they told me to do.
« They asked me to take the vest off, I took it off and moved to the right side. They put me in handcuffs. They took me to the police station and kept me in a couple of hours, then I was free to go. »
Police at Mandley Park on Friday (Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
The man at the centre of the storm said he understood why concerns were raised in the heart of Salford’s Jewish community, around a mile from the scene of last October’s attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall.
« I said to the police, ‘it’s better safe than sorry’, » he said. « I’m not blaming the police, they were very nice with me. I was being nice with them, we work together. That’s why we pay our taxes so we keep ourselves safe.
« Because it’s a Jewish area, I think people were scared, but I go there all the time. I go to the Jewish shops, I go there for my kids, they have nice food. I walk around here for an hour, an hour-and-a-half, something like that. »
GMP confirmed no further action is being taken against the man.
The force said the incident “was a false alarm and there is no threat to the wider community”.
The man added: « It is what it is. Sometimes it happens, you know. »
Members of the Jewish community thanked police for their swift response. A spokesperson for the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester said: « Thankfully, this has been clarified as a false alarm and there is no threat to our community.
« This incident is indicative of the levels of anxiety currently being faced by Jewish people across the world. We are once again grateful for the exemplary response by GMP and the professionalism of the Community Security Trust. We are fortunate to be able to rely on these two amazing organisations to keep us safe. »
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