Police cars and armed units: a bizarre incident implicates Newcastle star
Archery at the heart of the incident
Newcastle United star Amar Dedic sparked a security alert in England after turning up carrying a bow and arrows alongside a friend. The sight prompted a swarm of police patrols, and the bizarre episode ended with the equipment confiscated and the player questioned.
According to Spanish newspaper "Marca", citing the British newspaper "Daily Mail", it all began when Northumbria Police received a report from a resident who claimed to have seen two people carrying a bow and arrows near a water reservoir in the Harlow Hill area, on the outskirts of Newcastle.
Police threw at least six patrol cars at the call, armed units among them, before officers tracked down Dedic, 24, and his companion in the Darras Hall residential area, around seven miles from where the sighting was reported.
Officers stopped the car the pair were travelling in, searched it and confiscated the bow and arrows. They also quizzed the Bosnian about exactly what he had been up to.
Two familiar faces turned up during the incident. Newcastle goalkeeper Mark Gillespie and former defender Paul Dummett happened to be passing and stopped to offer help.
Having heard both men out, police concluded there was no threat to public safety. They noted that the seized equipment was, in principle, meant for recreational use, though the investigation is still ongoing.
The newspaper explained that Dedic and his companion had fired some arrows in a field, without disclosing what they had been aiming at.
Strange as the whole affair was, Dedic does not appear set to face any punishment at Newcastle. The "Daily Mail" reported that the club consider the player's conduct reckless but have no intention of opening a disciplinary investigation against him.
Newcastle signed the Bosnian full-back from Benfica last summer for 30 million pounds, and he has established himself at right-back despite the team's difficult start to the season.
Dedic featured in Newcastle's one-goal defeat to Everton and is expected to be available for Saturday's Premier League clash with Fulham. The Magpies are enduring a rough patch, having lost four of their last five matches across all competitions.
