Six-hour police manhunt for... nervous Danish student about to take an exam
Copenhagen police started a manhunt on Thursday for a man who had been seen behaving suspiciously on the train.
Officers with machine guns started swarming the area shortly after 8.30am searching for the man who was seen at Norreport Station, Denmark's busiest transport hub, reported The Local.
The police also posted a message on Twitter, saying: "If you see the man, who according to a witness has exhibited suspicious behaviour, contact (us)."
Three surveillance camera pictures of the man were distributed to the public. The man was described as having “Middle Eastern looks", “black hair” and “a full beard”.
But despite describing the tip-off as “credible", police had to admit after six hours that there was no foul play involved.
It turned out that the man was just a student suffering from pre-exam jitters.
'I’m sorry I scared you'
Mr Alisiv Ceran, 21, an English language-student, had taken the train to Copenhagen University where he was scheduled to take a test.
On the trip, he read a mandatory course book titled War On Terror, broadcaster TV2 reported.
A printer, which he said was needed for the written exam, then fell out of his bag, making him even more jittery – and prompting a concerned passenger to contact the police.
The Copenhagen student said he was nervous the printer had been damaged, meaning he would have to write all the answers by hand.
“To the female co-passenger: I’m sorry I scared you. I will smile a bit more in the future,” Mr Ceran said.
Hid in the toilet
After seeing his picture in the media, Mr Ceran hid in a public bathroom, reported The Copenhagen Post.
“I called the police and hid in the disabled toilet until they came," said Mr Ceran, who said that he was afraid he’d be attacked by fellow students.
Police inspector Mogens Lauridsen said at a press conference: “I absolutely don’t think we have overreacted."
“We can’t deny that it may have had negative effects, but we haven’t gotten any feedback that it scared the public,” he added.
Source: AFP, The Copenhagen Post, The Local
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