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A JAZZ musician has revealed the “terrifying” moment armed police raided his house carrying automatic weapons as part of a major anti-terror operation.

Victor Frederick, 63, was arrested and strip-searched just yards from his home, just moments after his partner Andrea Heath and their daughter had infra-red sights trained at them and were told they would be shot if they moved.

No charges were ever brought against Mr Frederick.

Yesterday, in a press conference at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay, Plaid Cymru AM Leanne Wood said South Wales Police had serious questions to answer about what she believes could easily have become a Welsh version of the Jean Charles de Menezes tragedy.

The innocent Brazilian was shot dead on a London tube train in 2005 by police who wrongly thought he was a terrorist.

South Wales Police last night insisted its officers had acted “in good faith based on genuine concerns”.

But Mr Frederick, who has lived in Cardiff for 35 years and is originally from St Kitts in the West Indies, told how:

police confiscated apparently suspicious items, which included a video of boxer Muhammad Ali and a ceramic urn containing a traditional West Indian drink;

police interpreted soundproofing equipment and wiring from his musical studio as a potential sign of illicit activity;

he was followed by a police helicopter flying just above him more than two weeks after last month’s raid on his house in Holmesdale Road, Grangetown.

Speaking at yesterday’s press conference, Mr Frederick, who has previously performed with his band at the local police ball, said: “This was a really terrifying experience. I can only think that the police received a malicious call suggesting there was some kind of a bomb factory in the recording studio I use with my band, the Cougars.

“I’d had a sense that I was under surveillance three days before I was arrested. On the Saturday I drove up to Radyr (in North Cardiff) to do a workshop and I was aware of a car following me.

“Then there was a strange incident where on the Sunday one of the other guys who uses the studio thought there had been a break-in, but found a note from the police saying they had been in the building.

“I was stopped by armed police officers as I was very close to my home.

“They had automatic weapons and were very jumpy. I was worried they were going to shoot. I didn’t know what was happening – they just grabbed me and strip searched me in the street. They told me I was being arrested on suspicion of making explosives, and took me off to Rumney police station, where they held me.

“Later, when I was being questioned, I was told they had found nothing and they would be letting me go.”

Ms Heath, 49, a youth and community worker in Cardiff, said: “I heard a key in the front door of our home and thought it was Victor returning.

“I heard some scuffling sound and shouting. When I opened the door there were four police officers armed with machine guns which had infra-red sights.

“The whole street had been cordoned off. I could see Victor in his underpants outside with police training guns on him. Other officers trained guns on me. I was told I would be shot if I moved. It was absolutely terrifying.

“Our daughter was upstairs. She told me later that she had a camera and thought about taking pictures of the police activity and commotion. It’s awful to think what might have happened if the police had seen a camera flash from the upstairs window and assumed it was a gun.”

Mr Frederick, who sings and plays bass guitar with his band the Cougars, said: “I’ve always had a good relationship with the police and have never been in trouble. In fact a couple of years ago the band played at a police ball in Bridgend.

“Of course I accept that the police have to check out tip-offs about terrorist activity, but this was totally over the top.

“You’d think they would need something pretty substantial before they mounted a big operation like this. There were loads of officers involved, many of them armed, and a helicopter over head.

“This must have been ordered from very high up in the force and we think South Wales Police should give a full explanation about why they decided it was necessary to mount an operation of this scale.”

Ms Heath said: “We have decided to make a big fuss about this firstly because we want everyone to know that we are entirely innocent. Obviously when an operation like this happens, many people will believe the police had a reason to do what they did. In fact there were no grounds for them to take this action at all.

“We also want there to be no question of anything like this happening again. Since the event we have spoken to a community police officer who is responsible for the area where we live. He told us he knew nothing in advance of what happened. He also told us he was aware of two other local instances where people had been targeted in the same way as us and nothing had been found. Before the police do something like this, they should have more than just a tip-off which could be malicious.”

The couple believe there may have been a racial element to the targeting of Mr Frederick. White musicians who also use the studio were not the subject of such an operation. And the list of supposedly suspicious items found by the police at the studio included a reference to an “ethnic” container holding a “colourless odourless liquid found in the fridge”. In fact the liquid was a West Indian drink called Mauby, sold in many shops in Cardiff.

Reference was also made to a “video tape relating to Pakistan”, when according to Mr Frederick the only video tape in the studio was about the boxing champion Muhammad Ali.

A South Wales Police spokeswoman said: “South Wales Police received information on suspicious items in a property in Grangetown, Cardiff.

“On February 17, armed police officers were deployed as a precaution to ensure the safety of the public and officers and a 63-year-old man was arrested. He was later released without charge.

“South Wales Police accepts Mr Frederick has done nothing wrong, and our officers acted in good faith in response to genuine concerns.

“South Wales Police has a duty to thoroughly investigate all potentially suspicious incidents in order to protect our communities.

“We received a letter from Ms Leanne Wood on Monday and are currently considering our response.”

The Independent Police Complaints Commission confirmed that Tom Davies, its Commissioner for Wales, had received a copy of Ms Wood’s letter to the Chief Constable.