Close X
Saturday, November 16, 2024
ADVT 
National

‘Suspicious’ Men Whose Photos Were Published By Vancouver Media Feared Public Attacks

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 16 Jan, 2016 01:43 PM
    VANCOUVER — Two men and a teenager labelled "suspicious" because they were taking photos of a Vancouver mall feared being attacked on the street after local media published their images, says their doctor.
     
    Mohammed Sharaz, One of the three people who raised security alarm bells, "I bought my son a little phone he brought with him just to take pictures of anything he can remember, take it back home and show his family and his friends.” 
     
    "My friend, when he looks at anything head on, he doesn't see like me and you do. So he'll take a picture or a movie and then later on when he gets back he zooms into it and he watches stuff," said Sharaz. "He takes pictures of anything and everything."
     
    Sharaz said he had no issues with how police treated the situation. What concerned him more was that the information had been leaked, potentially putting him, his son and his friend at risk of harm from vigilantes. 
     
    He said the three have stayed inside since they found out the photo of the three of them was circulating on social media and the internet. 
     
    "My son's got a disability. My friend's got a disability. We're the last people who are going to be hired by some terrorist organization to take video of stuff," he said. 
     
    Dr. Weidong Yu from the Wellspring Clinic for Holistic Medicine confirmed that two of the men are his patients. 
     
    Dr. Weidong Yu of the Wellspring Clinic for Holistic Medicine says the trio are visiting from Manchester, England, so that two of them — a teenager and a young adult — can be treated at his clinic for a visual disability.
     
    He says they suffer from a disorder that causes blurry vision, and they take lots of photos in order to zoom in on them later and see the sights more clearly.
     
     
    Yu says the trio were frightened of public attacks after online news outlet Vancity Buzz published on Thursday night leaked surveillance images of them at Pacific Centre mall.
     
    But he says they trusted Vancouver police and called them Friday morning from his clinic, where officers attended and conducted interviews in a "trained and professional" manner.
     
    Police say an internal memo, which labelled the men "suspicious" and included the surveillance photos, was never intended to be public and that after speaking with the trio they're confident their actions were "completely innocent."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Edmonton Retiree Winner Of $30Million Lotto Max Jackpot; Will Help His Children, Travel

    Edmonton Retiree Winner Of $30Million Lotto Max Jackpot; Will Help His Children, Travel
    EDMONTON — An Edmonton man did not tell his wife for several days that he held the winning Lotto Max ticket for $30 million.

    Edmonton Retiree Winner Of $30Million Lotto Max Jackpot; Will Help His Children, Travel

    Banks Defy Sluggish Economy, But Analysts Question Whether It Can Last

    Banks Defy Sluggish Economy, But Analysts Question Whether It Can Last
    Combined, the six largest lenders — Royal Bank, TD Bank, Scotiabank, the Bank of Montreal, CIBC and National Bank — earned $34.88 billion in net income during fiscal 2015, up almost five per cent from $33.27 billion last year.

    Banks Defy Sluggish Economy, But Analysts Question Whether It Can Last

    CRTC Uses Anti-spam Powers To Take Down Toronto-based Malware Server

    CRTC Uses Anti-spam Powers To Take Down Toronto-based Malware Server
    A computer infected with Dorkbot can also download other malware and compromise a system further.

    CRTC Uses Anti-spam Powers To Take Down Toronto-based Malware Server

    Son Of Slain Couple Stands By RCMP And Crown Despite Disclosure Problems

    Brett McCann has been attending a pre-trial hearing this week for Travis Vader, who is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the 2010 deaths of Lyle and Marie McCann.

    Son Of Slain Couple Stands By RCMP And Crown Despite Disclosure Problems

    Fiat Chrysler Recalling 121,603 Dodge Darts Worldwide For Brake Issue

    Fiat Chrysler Recalling 121,603 Dodge Darts Worldwide For Brake Issue
    The recall affects 2013 and 2014 model year Darts with 2-litre and 2.4-litre engines.

    Fiat Chrysler Recalling 121,603 Dodge Darts Worldwide For Brake Issue

    Saskatchewan Premier Home From Paris, Says World Interested In Carbon Capture

    Saskatchewan Premier Home From Paris, Says World Interested In Carbon Capture
    REGINA — Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall has returned home after attending the international climate conference in Paris, where he promoted carbon capture and storage technology.

    Saskatchewan Premier Home From Paris, Says World Interested In Carbon Capture