UK: A senior British policeman is in trouble after he dressed as Osama bin Laden at a carnival days before the seventh anniversary of the attacks of September 11th, 2001.
Chief Supt Colin Terry, who has trained police in Afghanistan, was photographed wearing a bin Laden mask, robes and traditional Arab scarf.
He wore the costume at a carnival in the village of Grampound, Cornwall, on Saturday.
Devon and Cornwall police said in a statement it took the incident very seriously and had referred Supt Terry to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
"Whilst we believe his actions were misguided rather than malicious, they were clearly inappropriate," it said. Supt Terry is on secondment to the foreign office but might have faced disciplinary proceedings had he still been with his local force, the statement added.
A foreign office spokesman said Supt Terry had been helping to train police in Afghanistan as part of a European Union project. "He will not be returning to the EU mission," he said. The spokesman would not say if the decision was linked to the carnival costume.
Supt Terry said he had not meant to cause offence. "I am quite horrified that someone would see this negatively," he was quoted as saying. "This is a local event that has been running for many, many years, raising money for charity."
- (Reuters)