Close X
Wednesday, November 20, 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

    A Great Day For Canada, Says Indian Origin Ex-Revenue Minister Herb Dhaliwal

    A Great Day For Canada, Says Indian Origin Ex-Revenue Minister Herb Dhaliwal
    The swearing-in of four Indian-Canadians as cabinet ministers is "a great day for Canada and a great day for India", said Herb Dhaliwal, the western world's first Indian-origin cabinet minister when he was appointed Canada's revenue minister in 1997

    A Great Day For Canada, Says Indian Origin Ex-Revenue Minister Herb Dhaliwal

    A Look At Some Issues Facing Each Member Of Justin Trudeau's First Cabinet

    A Look At Some Issues Facing Each Member Of Justin Trudeau's First Cabinet
    The new federal cabinet has a lot of issues to tackle, and not a lot of time to learn their files. Here is an idea of what each new minister faces

    A Look At Some Issues Facing Each Member Of Justin Trudeau's First Cabinet

    Justin Trudeau, Team Of 30 Cabinet Members Sworn In To Kick Off New Liberal Era

    Justin Trudeau, Team Of 30 Cabinet Members Sworn In To Kick Off New Liberal Era
    Justin Trudeau has launched a new Liberal era with a 30-member cabinet that features predominantly fresh faces and an equal number of men and women.

    Justin Trudeau, Team Of 30 Cabinet Members Sworn In To Kick Off New Liberal Era

    Premier Christy Clark Congratulates B.C. MPs Named To Federal Cabinet

    VICTORIA — British Columbia Premier Christy Clark is extending her congratulations to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his 30 cabinet ministers sworn-in this morning in Ottawa.

    Premier Christy Clark Congratulates B.C. MPs Named To Federal Cabinet

    Calgary Police Shoot Man After Deliberate Hit And Run, Narrow Miss For Officer

    Calgary Police Shoot Man After Deliberate Hit And Run, Narrow Miss For Officer
    Police say no officers were hurt but the suspect was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and the cyclist was in serious condition and undergoing surgery.

    Calgary Police Shoot Man After Deliberate Hit And Run, Narrow Miss For Officer

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Is The First Alumnus From UBC To Be Elected To Canada's Highest Office

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Is The First Alumnus From UBC To Be Elected To Canada's Highest Office
    The University of British Columbia says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is the first alumnus from the post-secondary institution to be elected to Canada's highest office.

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Is The First Alumnus From UBC To Be Elected To Canada's Highest Office