NY mayor apologises to British Sikh tourists
A group of Sikh tourists were handcuffed and forced to kneel on a Broadway sidewalk after the driver of the bus alerted the police.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has apologised to a group of Sikh tourists from Britain who were handcuffed and forced to kneel on a Broadway sidewalk after the driver of their sightseeing bus alerted the police.
"It turned out that these half dozen people did not present any threat whatsoever and it's a shame and I certainly apologise on behalf of the city of New York any time we ever detain anybody unnecessarily.
"Better they're found innocent than found guilty I suppose, but it's a shame that it happened and we love tourists and we want them to keep coming here..." Bloomberg said, according to an official statement from his office.
Daily News quoted one of the tourists, identified as 39-year-old Jas, as saying after the incident on July 24: "These things happen, don't they? We have no hard feelings. It certainly made our trip different, but didn't ruin it at all."
Bloomberg said while New Yorkers should report any suspicious activity, they should also use "common sense" and avoid profiling people.
The five British tourists from Birmingham later left to continue their US trip.
The city has been on a heightened security alert in the aftermath of the London terror bombings with police asking citizens to report any suspicious objects immediately.