A MAN has told of his panic after being surrounded by police officers and accused of having a hand grenade as he made his way through airport security.

After intensely grilling Jimmy Ho in the middle of Edinburgh Airport on Saturday night, airport officials later discovered the suspected grenade was actually a bottle of AFTERSHAVE!

The 25-year-old, of Warren Heath, was making his way back to Heathrow Airport following a trip to the Scottish capital with a group of friends.

He told The Star that he knew “something strange was going on” when security staff failed to return his hand luggage after putting it through a scanning machine.

But little did he know that the airport equipment had identified a grenade-shaped item, which was actually Mr Ho’s fragrance called Spicebomb by designers Vikor & Rolf.

“I noticed that everyone was looking at me really strangely, and I had absolutely no idea what was going on,” Mr Ho said.

“I was waiting quite a while before anyone actually said anything and then they asked me why I had a hand grenade in my luggage and I was shocked.

“I had no idea what they were talking about and then I realised it was my fragrance.

“The next thing I know, I am surrounded by police and I just felt really, really panicked. I didn’t really know what to do, you don’t think anything like this will ever happen.”

Mr Ho, who works in insurance, was left fearful about his fate while airport officials took away the suspicious item for testing.

He said he was concerned, “despite knowing obviously what it was”. Officers persistently asked Mr Ho whether the bottle contained any harmful substances until tests proved he was telling the truth.

He said: “They went and checked it all out for about 30 minutes so during that time I didn’t know what to think.

“Thinking back now I guess it was really silly and I think the design of the bottle is really bad considering. I guess it’s a good thing that they do all these checks.”

Eventually Mr Ho was allowed to continue on with his journey and was lucky enough not to miss his flight after being held up for around 45 minutes.

An Edinburgh Airport spokesperson said: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused to the passenger. However the security and safety of our passengers is our number one priority, and we are satisfied that our security staff followed correct procedure.”

n Have you ever been stopped by airport security? Tell us your story. Write to Your Letters, Ipswich Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or alternatively you can send an e-mail starletters@ archant.co.uk