Improvised Electronic Device - EuroStar

Heath bunting improvised electronic device ied mini usb phone charger eurostar receipt 2006 08 19.

Heath bunting notice of detention improvised electronic device ied mini usb phone charger eurostar 2006 08 19.

Heath bunting notice of detention improvised electronic device ied mini usb phone charger with hitchhiking sign on reverse side eurostar 2006 08 19.

SHIPMENT FER-1247
ITEM: Cube-Cola from Bristol to Brussels
SHIPMENT QUANTITY: 1 jar concentrate, makes up 18L Cola
VIA: London Waterloo, Paris Gare du Nord
STATUS: delayed, interrogated, depleted 
COURIER: heath bunting

REPORT: loosely transcribed by kate rich from interview with heath bunting, 31/08/06

It was the 19/08/06 Eurostar departure 18h07 London Waterloo for Paris Gare du Nord, 
during the Summer '06 liquid terrorism campaign scam (the imagined plot to kill 
thousands of people by detonating liquid-based explosives on up to 10 transatlantic 
flights from UK airports). I was traveling with a friend, Michael Uwemedimo, to go 
climbing in the forest of Fontainebleau near Paris. I had a feeling we would get 
stopped for something silly. At the pre-boarding security scanner, security staff 
searched my bag and found the Cube-Cola concentrate (enroute from Bristol, to deliver 
to Kate Rich in Paris) and my mobile phone charger, modified to reduce its volume and 
increase its functionality for travel (features removed plug; covered in black 
electrical tape). I was taken aside and asked to demonstrate how the phone charger 
worked. I went round the back of the security scanner and stuck the bare wires into the 
electric socket, the security guard found this amusing. I then went back to my bag and 
proceded to assemble what was officially a bomb: I plugged the charger into the phone, 
wrapped the wires around the Cube Cola concentrate (an unknown and threatening liquid 
substance, to the understanding of the security staff) and photographed the result. At 
this stage they called over the police.

Michael tried to intervene and explain everything. I took the opposite strategy and 
tried to not say anything, to exaggerate the situation. I also tried out several minor 
stunts, like standing in a manner that resembled the police agents' posture. I said 
to the police, this is about Lebanon isn't it - a campaign for distraction of 
attention from Britain's activity in the coconcurrent Lebanese war.

We were then taken to the interrogation room. Michael went in first, for about 30 
minutes. Then I was taken in, there were 3 men in there, 2 who identified themselves as 
Metropolitan Police but who I suspected to be Special Branch, and another person, not 
obviously in a police role and visibly scarred by life, who I interpreted to be MI5. 
Someone else - an immigration officer possibly - moved in and out of the room 
during the course of the interrogation. 

They took everything out of my bag and asked me to explain it. I have a very compact 
rucksack - about 15 litres - and was traveling for a month. Everything was very 
efficiently packed. The Cube-Cola was by now sitting on a table behind all of this, its 
lid was broken, evidently by police confusion over the screwtop jar mechanism. I 
noticed that the volume of concentrate in the jar was reduced, the police had evidently 
removed a sample of cola. They told me they would let me go quicker if I explained 
everything, but I wasn't operating on that vector. wasn't concerned about missing 
the train, my mission was to deliver the Cube-Cola to Paris, I was not prepared to go 
ahead without it. They told me that my right to silence was removed as I was being 
detained under the Terrorism Act, and any refusal to answer questions was grounds for 
prosecution. I then asked for a phonecall and phoned my father. I told them I would 
answer questions selectively. They showed me a printout of my website (Borderxing) so I 
knew they were Intelligence. They accused me of testing the system (crossing internal 
European borders illegally), doing a dry run.

At some point they realised I was not an Islamic terrorist and that they'd gone to far
down a blind alley. They returned the (depleted) jar of Cube-Cola, but kept the phone
charger on the grounds that it looked bizarre and could be misinterpreted by other
people. I then ran through the station with the damaged jar of Cube-Cola held aloft, to
avoid spillage, and Michael and I were able to board the last Eurostar train to Paris.  
As I was phoning my father to tell him I was safe, the police boarded the train and
demanded the paperwork record of detention I was holding, which I refused. They ripped
it out of my hand, and returned it minutes later, having changed the police number on
the form. They then left the train. I told the conductor I had been unfairly detained
and delayed on my journey, he offered us an upgrade to the (empty) Eurostar police
compartment, in which we traveleled in comfort to Paris.

(Cube-Cola is an open-source soft drink in development by Kayle Brandon and Kate Rich,
see http://sparror.cubecinema.com/cube/cola for more information)