TORONTO, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Canadian police in Toronto have apologized to an internationally known Kurdish singer and poet for mistaking him and his entourage for armed terrorists.
Sivan Perwer and a television crew of three were returning to Toronto from Niagara Falls in a black Hummer Sunday night when Ontario Provincial Police stopped the vehicle, the Toronto Sun reported Tuesday.
The OPP were acting on a telephone tip from a motorist who said the men appeared to have a weapon, although it was determined the caller had mistaken a TV camera for a weapon.
Perwer, 53, told the Sun police cruisers surrounded their borrowed vehicle and all four men were handcuffed and ordered to lay down on the pavement.
"I have had trouble with Turkish police before but I didn't know Canadian police were like this," he said. "One policeman said 'I will shoot ... I will kill you now.'"
Perwer has made more than 30 recordings and performed alongside the likes of Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon and Sting, the Sun said. He now lives in exile in Germany because some of his lyrics upset officials in his native Turkey, the report said.
OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino said the men received an apology and explanation.
"As for the people in the vehicle, I certainly understand how they must feel and hope they understand the difficulties and dangers that go with policing," Fantino said.
