Dramatic moment man is mistaken for an ISIS fanatic in a Spanish square… and his ‘suicide belt’ turns out to be £162,000 of hidden cash
Cops evacuated tourists from busy city square as the bomb squad raced to the scene in Madrid
THIS is the dramatic moment a man sparked a terror panic when tourists noticed his bulging body belt - which was actually hiding more than £162,000 in cash.
Cops swooped on the suspected ISIS fanatic and evacuated the packed Plaza de la Independencia as the bomb squad raced to the scene in the Spanish capital Madrid.
When officers stripped him and carefully opened the packages on his belt they found them stuffed with around 185,000 euros.
Reports in Spain said the Civil Protection squad SAMUR was patrolling the busy square when they searched a pedestrian who looked suspicious and appeared to be drunk.
The bulging belt round his waist then sparked a full terror alert.
Witnesses said the incident caused a great deal of alarm following recent terrorist attacks.
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A spokesman for Madrid police said: "Faced with the suspicion that it was a possible explosive belt, the agents promptly evacuated the square creating a perimeter of security.
"Officers saw that several packages were fixed with American tape around his body. They quickly cleared the square until the arrival of the bomb squad and dogs' unit.
"Eventually, no explosive material, battery or wiring was detected so they opened the packages which were wrapped in plastic to reveal 185,000 euros of legal tender inside."
The man turned out to be a 42-year-old resident of Madrid who has been charged with failing to declare an amount of money more than the 10,000 euro limit Spain allows to be brought into the country.
Yesterday we told how Madrid is on terror alert and three suspects were arrested amid fears ISIS might target the World Pride celebration next weekend.
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