Tourist's car blown up by terror police

A tourist had his car blown up by anti-terrorist police after it broke down – and he also got a parking ticket.

Nima Hosseini Razi's Ford Mondeo broke down near the Houses of Parliament. He left a note on the car saying "this car is broke – please do not fine me" before going sightseeing. When he returned he found that anti-terrorist officers, fearing the vehicle might have contained a bomb, had blown open the boot in a controlled explosion. To add insult to injury, a parking attendant issued a ticket before Mr Razi's car was towed away.

His mistake, he realised later, had been to break down outside the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre – a short distance from the Palace of Westminster and several important government buildings.

Mr Razi, 32, a student at the University of Wales, said: "The police's actions were extremely arrogant and unprofessional. They treated me like a terrorist. They were never interested in listening to my real story."

A spokesman for Scotland Yard confirmed last night that a controlled explosion on a "suspect vehicle" took place. He added: "The incident was subsequently deemed non-suspicious."