Buddhist man on Plymouth bus was accused of being ISIS terrorist, say police

By CARL EVE, Crime Reporter @CarlEveCrime

POLICE are keen to trace this man - or his two friends – after an incident on a bus which saw a Sri Lankan Buddhist accused of being an ISIS terrorist before being assaulted.

The alleged victim was on the upper deck of a 21a Citybus heading towards the city centre on Union Street at sometime between 10.15pm and 10.45pm on July 3.

Two men and a woman boarded the bus somewhere between Stonehouse Bridge and the Palace Theatre and one of the men went upstairs and sat next to the Sri Lankan man.

Within seconds, the suspect began to accuse the passenger of being terrorist member of ISIS who was planning to bomb the bus.

Police say the suspect then assaulted the Buddhist.

Investigators say the bus driver stopped the vehicle and intervened, escorting the Sri Lankan man downstairs.

The suspect followed them and continued his accusations, becoming increasingly aggressive when the victim refused to shake his hand.

Investigators say a woman sitting on the lower deck attempted to confront the suspect, later leaving her contact details with the driver.

Police are very keen to speak to the woman who came forward as they have been unable to contact her via her details.

In addition, police hope the man pictured – or his two friends who appeared to accompany him – can be traced as they are understood to have key information about the entire incident.

If you can assist police contact them on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 quoting crime reference number CR/46484/15.