Armed cops arrest innocent Arab wearing traditional headscarf who they mistakenly believed was an ISIS fanatic
Police officers swooped on the businessman after a receptionist at his hotel 'heard him pledging allegiance to ISIS'
DASHCAM footage shows the moment police swoop on a man suspected of being an ISIS terrorist -- before later discovering he's an innocent businessman from the United Arab Emirates.
Officers were acting on an emergency call that said a man in Arabic dress was heard "pledging allegiance to ISIS" in a hotel lobby.
But the 41-year-old Emirati was merely speaking in his native language on the phone.
His arrest by heavily armed cops in Cleveland, Ohio has led the UAE to summon a senior US diplomat to complain about the "abusive treatment" their citizen received.
The Persian Gulf nation's foreign ministry expressed their "discontent" at the arrest of Ahmed al-Menhali, who was in the United States to receive medical treatment.
Shock footage of the incident -- captured by a body camera attached to an officer from Avon City, a suburb of Cleveland -- shows a police squad pointing powerful rifles at Mr al-Menhali as he stands in the lobby of Fairfield Inn and Suites.
He can then be seen being wrestled to the ground before officers search him.
Cops even take his shoes off to check for weapons before he collapses.
Police then restrain Mr al-Menhali before taking him to hospital.
"They were brutal with me. They pressed forcefully on my back", Mr Menhali told Emirate newspaper The National.
He continued: "I had several injuries and bled from the forceful nature of their arrest".
It is believed police were notified about Mr al-Menhali, who has reportedly been in the US since April for treatment after suffering a stroke, when a receptionist at the hotel contacted her sister to say she thought he might be a terrorist.
Fairfield Inn and Suites said it would not comment as a police investigation was ongoing.
Meanwhile, the Council on American Islamic Relations has called for an independent investigation into the hotel and Avon Police Department.
The heavy-handed response from officers has led to the Emirati foreign ministry to warn its citizens "not to wear traditional dress" when travelling abroad.
Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368