Muhammad Adil, 27, from Peshawar, is in the final year of an MBA at Liverpool John Moores University. He has been studying in the UK for two years and was working for most of Wednesday in the library on his dissertation, due by April 30.
He was sitting on benches outside the building waiting for a friend, a 25-year-old Pakistani studying accountancy at a British college, when he was approached by the anti-terror officers.
Mr Adil told The Guardian: “Special forces with telescopes on their machine guns came and said ‘hands up’.
“I thought maybe they are students playing with me. My friend was sitting on the bench. They grabbed my wrists and pushed my friend and he fell down on the other side of the [flowerbed] wall.”
He claimed police told him to “shut up” as he was kept lying face down on the floor with his hands tied behind his back for an hour.
“They asked me if I knew why I was being arrested – as a suspect of terrorism, I was laughing at that. I’m a student.”
He continued: “I ask him how long, do you have any proof that I’m a terrorist? I said I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m a student. I was laughing in shock at that point and the officer told me it’s not the time to laugh.”
After roughly an hour, both he and his friend were taken to a police station in separate cars, along with three other men whom he did not know.
There he was questioned about his name, age, friends and how long he had lived at his current residence.
Mr Adil told the newspaper the officers then change their attitude toward him when they realised he was not a suspect but instead a legitimate student.
“When they confirmed everything they were talking to me like we were friends and asked if I wanted water or the toilet. He said ‘Are you okay’ and I said my hands are tied if that’s okay. I talk too much. It’s my habit.”
Mr Adil now plans to complete his dissertation but hopes to return to his home country as soon as possible.
“The first thing I will do is leave this country as soon as possible. The police officer said your country [Pakistan] is not secure but I still prefer to live there. I love my country.”
Police believe an al-Qaeda cell was days away from carrying out an “Easter spectacular” of co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks on shopping centres in Manchester.
