I came out of my seminar just after 5 in Russell Square, London, to be met by wall to wall police vans packed full of officers, police cars, ambulances and a helicopter flying overhead.(I'm assuming to do with the Whitehall incident earlier).
So I'm stood there on the pavement and within seconds this man, (and I'm trying to word this to not offend anyone so don't have a go if I get it wrong) who was very similar in appearance to the man arrested earlier, came straight up to me with his arms held out and says come here please. I don't know why but my heart starts thumping like mad. I say quickly "Why?" And he says "I want a hug. I'm lonely" and before I knew it he had his arms round me. I quickly untangle myself and say sorry I'm running really late and walk off as fast as I can but now an hour or so later I'm thinking what if he really was at a really low ebb and just genuinely needed a hug?
Or he could have been a raving lunatic with a knife - how would I have known? I just feel that however I reacted it would have probably been wrong.
It could have been, that he was a friend/associate of the alleged terrorist, and hugging you would have looked like he knew you, or a friend, to put the police off, any suspicions he was involved.