‘Bomb’ suitcase: Pakistani man arrested in US

NEW YORK: A Pakistani man from South Africa on his “dream vacation” to New York City was arrested for describing his suitcase as a “bomb” while checking in at a Sheraton hotel in Brooklyn, US media reported on Sunday. According to New York Daily News, Jahanzaib Malik is facing criminal charges after he pointed to his suitcase and said, “There’s a bomb in there” when he got frustrated with the check-in process. However, his lawyer, Roger Asmar, claims that Malik only referred to his luggage as “bomb”, slang for cool, to impress the female concierge. “The FBI checked the whole thing, and cleared him and leaves, and yet he still gets arrested. Now, this poor kid is sitting in jail. It’s ridiculous. It’s discrimination against Pakistanis,” Asmar said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 28^th, 2015.