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| BBC Page last updated at 17:03 GMT, Sunday, 26 April 2009 18:03 UK Man in car 'bound with canisters' Police have surrounded a man inside a car in Birmingham city centre with "canisters" surrounding his body and his hands bound. Fire crews, an Army bomb disposal team and negotiators with West Midlands Police are at the scene in Saltley. Ch Supt Tom Coughlan said it was unclear whether the man was conscious and whether he was there of his own accord or was a victim of crime. A police cordon has delayed trains at the city's New Street rail station. Some people have been evacuated from their homes and were being offered shelter at Saltley Leisure Centre by the local authority, police said. A no-fly zone has also been imposed over the immediate area. Trains delayed The incident at the junction of Clarel Avenue and Landor Street started just before 1030 BST on Sunday when the car was spotted by a passing lorry driver. Mr Coughlan added: "Inside the vehicle his hands seem to be bound and his body seems to be surrounded by what is being referred to at the moment as a number of canisters." Inquiries have been made in an attempt to identify the registered keeper of the vehicle but police said this had not so far led to an identification of the man inside the car. A 500m cordon is in place and although some homes have been evacuated, the area is predominantly surrounded by industrial premises, police said. Trains between New Street and Nuneaton, Warwickshire, and Tamworth, Staffordshire were facing delays of up to 50 minutes. The incident has affected services run by CrossCountry and Virgin Trains and caused the closure of the Wheels adventure park. |
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| BBC Page last updated at 17:42 GMT, Sunday, 26 April 2009 18:42 UK 'Car bomb man' was kidnap victim A man found in a car in Birmingham city centre with his hands tied and canisters attached to his body had been kidnapped, police have revealed. West Midlands said the man had been put in the car and told it contained a bomb. Chief Supt Tom Coughlan said the man was later safely removed and taken to hospital with a suspected broken leg. Several homes were evacuated and trains using New Street Station were delayed when a 500m police cordon was set up. The incident started just before 1030 BST when a lorry driver called the emergency services after spotting the man, described as Asian by police, at the junction of Clarel Avenue and Landor Street, Saltley. His hands were tied and gas canisters were inside the car. 'Reprehensible' action An Army bomb disposal team, fire crews and paramedics were called to the scene along with negotiators with West Midlands Police. Mr Coughlan said officers were initially unable to say whether the man was conscious and whether he was there by choice or the victim of crime. After the man was released Mr Coughlan said police were now treating it as a criminal investigation. "The man appears at this stage to have been placed in the car against his will possibly with a view to scaring him. "He has been told there was a bomb in the car with him." Experts were trying to establish the nature of the device placed in the car, he said. "This action is reprehensible. It has placed the victim, members of the public and the emergency services at risk," he added. |
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 ... Up to 15 people working in factories in the area, which is mainly industrial, were evacuated. A nearby railway line was closed and a no-fly zone put in place. Chief Supt Coughlan added: "We cannot rule out any motive at this stage. EOD (Explosives Ordnance Disposal) and trained negotiators are at the scene to assist with the operation. Enquiries have been conducted to identify the registered keeper of the vehicle. However at this stage this has not led officers to an identification of the man inside the car. "For the safety of the public a 500 metre cordon has been put in place, which involves a small number of residential addresses being evacuated, the Wheels Adventure Park being closed to the public and local roads being closed. "The street is largely surrounded by industrial premises, mainly scrapyards." The railway line closure was affecting the West Coast Mainline between Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International stations. Those evacuated were offered shelter at the Saltley Leisure Centre. Councillor Ayoub Khan, cabinet member for community safety at Birmingham City Council, said an eye witness had told him that the man in the car was of Asian origin and aged in his 30s. Mr Khan said: "He said he saw foam coming out of the man's mouth and said he was unconscious. "It seems that this man is a victim rather than the assailant. He said he could see some bottles tied to him or something like that." Source |
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| From The Times April 27, 2009 Birmingham kidnap victim freed from car he was told contained bomb car David Brown A kidnap victim was freed last night after a large police operation. He was discovered tied up in a car that he had been told contained a bomb. The terrified man, who was gagged, was trapped for eight hours after being discovered yesterday morning lying in the front of a small two-door car with gas canisters strapped to his abdomen. Hostage negotiators tried to make contact with the man throughout the day until he was freed by officers from West Midlands Police. A large area close to Birmingham city centre was evacuated, the country’s busiest rail lines were closed or diverted and a no-fly zone was imposed over the area. Chief Superintendent Tom Coughlan said that there was a “criminal motive intended to frighten the man”. During the day he had described how the man appeared to be bound and “surrounded by gas canisters about the same size as beer cans”. After the victim was freed Mr Coughlan said: “This incident has now become a criminal investigation. The man appears at this stage to have been placed in the car against his will, possibly with a view to scaring him. “He has been told there was a bomb in the car with him. We are seeking to establish the actual nature of the device that was placed in the car. “This action is reprehensible. It has placed the victim, members of the public and the emergency services at risk.” The man, from Birmingham, was taken to hospital for treatment for a suspected broken leg. Mr Coughlan said that investigations would be carried out on the gas canisters found in the vehicle to find out if they contained any explosives. An army bomb disposal team that had been on stand-by throughout the day did not have to defuse any device. “I would strongly encourage anybody with any knowledge of this incident and the motivations for it to contact CID at Queens Road,” he added. A passing driver had called police at 10.23am yesterday saying that he had seen a car parked unusually and that a man appeared to be trapped inside. The man was unable to communicate with police. Officers were not sure if he was conscious for much of the day. A 500m police cordon had been enforced in the Saltley area of Birmingham leading to the evacuation of homes and factories, with residents being put up in a leisure centre. The nearby West Coast Main Line and CrossCountry lines were severely disrupted, with routes being closed or diverted. Councillor Ayoub Khan, Cabinet member for community safety at Birmingham City Council, said that a witness had told him that the man in the car was of Asian origin and aged in his 30s. “He could see he’d been bound and gagged and he saw saliva coming from his mouth. It looked like there were bubbles there. He could see gas canisters around him,” Mr Khan said. “He said he was foaming at the mouth. He said he was not dead, but looked unconscious. He tried to speak to him but he couldn’t so he alerted the police.” Source |
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| Page last updated at 16:53 GMT, Monday, 27 April 2009 17:53 UK Attempt to rescue 'car-bomb man' Mohammed Arif said he did not fear for his safety because he was 'a man of faith'. A scrapyard owner has told how he tried to free a man he found trapped inside a car apparently packed with explosives. Mohammed Arif said a colleague spotted the car opposite his yard in Saltley, Birmingham, shortly after arriving for work on Sunday morning. Mr Arif said he tried to prise the boot open to free the man, who was gagged and had gas cylinders strapped to his chest, before police officers arrived. Police believe the man, who was freed after seven hours, had been kidnapped. Mr Arif said he was unable to open the boot and was planning to smash the windscreen when officers stopped him. Seven-hour ordeal He said he decided to try to free the man because "if he was going to explode he would have exploded by now". He said two people on the other side of the street had called out for him to stand back in case the car exploded but he was not afraid for his safety because he was "a man of faith". He said: "I think you are in the earth to do good and I think God is with you so I wouldn't worry about that." He said the man, who police said is of Asian appearance and in his 30s, also had his hands and legs bound. He was eventually safely released from the car after a seven-hour ordeal and taken to hospital with a suspected broken leg. No explosives were found, although gas canisters had been stored inside the car doors. Several homes were evacuated and trains passing through Birmingham New Street Station were delayed. Anyone with information is asked to contact West Midlands Police or call Crimestoppers. BBC/URL] |
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| Birmingham kidnap victim 'was bound and gagged' Apr 27 2009 by Mark Cowan, Birmingham Mail A SCRAPYARD boss today told how he saw the man at the centre of Birmingham’s “bomb car” scare bound and gagged with gas canisters wrapped around his body. Chaudhary Mohammed Arif said he thought the man was lying unconscious in the car with plastic ties binding his limbs and about six gas bottles taped to his body. The man, in his 30s and from Birmingham, spent at least seven hours lying in the R-registered white Nissan Micra which was dumped in a deserted industrial estate. The victim feared for his life after being kidnapped and told he had been wired to a bomb. He is today being treated in hospital for a suspected broken leg as the police hunt for his abductors behind the “reprehensible” crime continued. The car had been dumped at the junction of Landor Street and Clarel Drive. Mr Arif, 44, boss of Condor Auto Spares, said: “I could see the man lying in the car, with plastic cable ties around his hands and feet and there was a cloth in his mouth that was wrapped around his head. “There was also five or six canisters taped to his chest. I think he was unconscious, he wasn’t moving but I could see him breathing. “I went to open the car but people shouted at me to leave it because they thought it might explode.” Army bomb disposal experts, firefighters and specialist police negotiators were drafted in after a truck driver found the car and raised the alarm at 10.23am yesterday. The alert brought widespread disruption to the city’s rail network delaying trains to and from the city’s New Street train station as a 500 metres exclusion zone was set up around the car. A bomb disposal officer wearing full protective equipment brought the seven-hour security alert to an end at about 5pm after approaching the vehicle to manually check the device and giving the emergency services the all-clear to rescue the victim. Chief Supt Tom Coughlan, from Queens Road police, said: “This action is reprehensible. “This was clearly a kidnap situation although no demand had been made. We will pursue those who did this with vigour.” Forensics specialists carried out a detailed examination of the car. [URL=http://www.birminghammail.net/what-is-on-in-birmingham/theatre-in-birmingham/2009/04/27/birmingham-kidnap-victim-was-bound-and-gagged-97319-23482191/]Source |
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| Birmingham "car bomb" drama victim was kidnapped in Moseley Apr 28 2009 The man at the centre of Birmingham’s “bomb car” scare was snatched off a Moseley street and beaten before being bundled into a car and warned he had been wired to explosives. The terrified victim in his 30s, spent at least seven hours lying in a Nissan Micra with his hands bound and gas canisters strapped to his chest. Scene of suspected bomb alert He was today being treated in hospital for a suspected broken leg after being rescued from the vehicle, which was dumped at the junction of Landor Street and Clarel Drive, on Sunday evening. Officers are due to interview him properly after he was initially too distressed to talk. Detectives revealed a gang pounced on the man as he walked along Wake Green Road, in Moseley, in the early hours of Sunday. Police said he was bundled into a blue car and taken to an unknown location where he was threatened by a number of men and assaulted before being tied up in the Micra. He remained in the car, too frightened to move, until he was spotted by a passing truck driver at about 10.20am on Sunday. He was eventually freed at about 5pm. Police said the car, registration number R230 ECX, was sold by its previous owner three weeks earlier and officers said they were anxious to know where it had been stored since then. Meanwhile, investigating officers also sought to quash speculation that the incident was gang related. It is though it may be linked to an on-going dispute Det Insp Julian Grant, from Kings Heath CID, said: “Inquiries are moving forward at some speed, but at this stage we do not believe the victim was a member of any gang or that the crime is gang related.” Officers also appealed to owners of camping shops and hardware store who may have sold between eight and ten gas canisters in recent days. Det Insp Grant said: “If anyone sold a significant number of these small blue gas canisters used for camping we want to hear from them. He added: “The man has suffered a frightening ordeal and we will not rest until we have found those responsible.” Anyone with information is urged to call Kings Heath CID on 0845 113 5000. Source |
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| Saltley 'car bomb' kidnap was not gang related Apr 28 2009 Detectives investigating the kidnap of a man who was tied up in an abandoned car and told he was connected to a bomb said today that the incident was not gang-related. The victim, an Asian man in his mid-30s, was discovered in a white Nissan Micra on a road in an industrial area of Birmingham at 10.20am on Sunday. His hands were bound together and he was surrounded by gas canisters and "too frightened to move", police said. West Midlands Police said the man had been bundled into a blue car in the Moseley area of Birmingham in the early hours of Sunday by a group of men who drove him to an unknown location where he was threatened and assaulted. He was later transferred to the Nissan Micra and abandoned in Landor Street, Saltley, where he was discovered by a passing lorry driver. Detective Inspector Julian Grant said: "Inquiries are moving forward at some speed, but at this stage we do not believe the victim was a member of any gang or that the crime is gang- related." The victim, who was positioned in the front of the car with about eight gas canisters around his abdomen, was removed following a seven-hour operation involving the emergency services, an Army bomb disposal team and trained negotiators. A 500m cordon was erected and nearby factories and local homes were evacuated. The man was taken to hospital where he received treatment for minor injuries. Investigations have revealed that the Nissan car, registration number R230 ECX, was sold by its previous owner three weeks ago and police are keen to find out where it was stored until Sunday. Officers also believe shopkeepers may hold vital clues, particularly camping shop and hardware store owners. Mr Grant said: "If anyone sold a significant number of these small blue gas canisters used for camping we want to hear from them." Appealing for witnesses to contact police, he added: "It is an industrial area and fairly isolated but we are sure there will have been people passing by who can help us. "The man has suffered a frightening ordeal and we will not rest until we have found those responsible." Anyone with information is urged to call Kings Heath CID on 0845 113 5000. Source |
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| Page last updated at 13:58 GMT, Tuesday, 28 April 2009 14:58 UK 'Kidnap' crime 'not gang-related' Police investigating a suspected kidnap of a man who was tied up and told he was connected to a bomb say they do not think the crime was gang-related. The victim, who is Asian and in his 30s, was spotted by a lorry driver in a white Nissan Micra in Landor Street, Saltley, Birmingham, on Sunday morning. He had been bundled into a blue car by a group as he walked along Wake Green Road in the Moseley area, police say. West Midlands Police say they do not think the man was a member of any gang. The man was taken to an unknown location where he was threatened by a number of men and assaulted before being transferred to a white Nissan Micra, police said. He was tied up alongside a number of gas canisters in the car and abandoned in Saltley. The man remained in the car "too frightened to move", police said. The Nissan car, registration R230 ECX, was sold by its previous owner three weeks earlier and the force wants to know where it was stored afterwards. Police also want to hear from camping shop owners and hardware store staff who may have sold between eight and 10 gas canisters. Det Insp Julian Grant said: "If anyone sold a significant number of these small blue gas canisters used for camping, we want to hear from them." Officers are unsure how long the man had been in the car, but appealed for anyone who drove along Landor Street on Sunday morning to get in touch. Mr Grant said: "It is an industrial area and fairly isolated but we are sure there will have been people passing by who can help us. "The man has suffered a frightening ordeal and we will not rest until we have found those responsible." Anyone with information has been asked to call Kings Heath CID. Source |
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| Man's bomb torture was for 'honour' By Rod Chaytor 29/04/2009 The kidnapped man found wired to a fake bomb was the victim of a family "honour" punishment, police believe. The Asian man, in his 30s, was found beaten and tied in a dumped Nissan Micra with gas bottles taped to his chest. His attackers told him if he moved he would be blown up. A source said last night: "The attack is believed to concern a family matter. Someone may have believed a relative had been shamed. "The bomb was not viable but the victim was convinced it was a live device. "The men aimed to prolong his ordeal by terrifying him and in this they succeeded. "When he was rescued he was in a complete state." The man was spotted by a passer-by in Saltley, Birmingham, on Sunday morning. It sparked a seven-hour alert as bomb disposal experts were called in. Police wanted to interview him on Monday but doctors said he was too traumatised. They were hoping to question him in hospital yesterday.. Source |
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| Four held for 'car bomb' kidnap Friday, May 1, 2009 Four people have been arrested in connection with the kidnap of a man who was tied up in an abandoned car and told he was connected to a bomb, police said today. Detectives quizzed three men, aged 23, 24, and 54, and a 27-year-old woman on suspicion of kidnapping the man. He was discovered surrounded by gas canisters in the car last Sunday morning. The four have since been released until June on police bail, pending further inquiries. The victim, an Asian man in his mid-thirties, was found in a white Nissan Micra on a road in an industrial area of Birmingham at 10.20am on Sunday. His hands were bound together and he was surrounded by about eight gas canisters and "too frightened to move", police said. West Midlands Police said the man had been bundled into a blue car in the Moseley area of the city in the early hours of Sunday by a group of men who drove him to an unknown location where he was threatened and assaulted. He was later transferred to the Nissan Micra and abandoned in Landor Street, Saltley, where he was discovered by a passing lorry driver. Following a seven-hour operation involving the emergency services, an army bomb disposal team and trained negotiators, he was removed from the vehicle and taken to hospital where he received treatment for minor injuries. Investigations have revealed that the Nissan car, registration number R230 ECX, was sold by its previous owner three weeks ago and police are keen to find out where it was stored until Sunday. Officers, who stressed that the incident is not believed to be gang-related, also believe shopkeepers may hold vital clues, particularly camping shop and hardware store owners. Source |
