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Terror Police Quiz Clash Tribute Guitarist

added 09 June 2004 at 15.40

London police reportedly questioned the guitarist in a Clash tribute band after they intercepted a text message that contained lyrics they mistakenly believed made reference to terrorist activities.

Mike Devine (35) - the bassist in Clash tribute act London Calling - had been trying to text the lyrics to the Clash song ‘Tommy Gun’ to the singer in his band, but accidentally sent a text message to wrong number last week (April 30),
reports www.thisislondon.co.uk.

The person who received the message became concerned Avon and Somerset Police on who then sent a Special Branch officer to visit the bassist at his office. Devine (an engineer at a mobile phone company in Bristol) admitted he was worried when an officer arrived at his workplace,

"I had no idea why they could want to talk to me and so initially I thought it was just some sort of misunderstanding.” He explained to www.thisislondon.co.uk, “However as we spent about 10 minutes looking for an available meeting room I began to worry about past events in my life. Had I done something wrong when I was small? Were my parents spies? I was getting worried."

He was then asked to explain what the text message meant. It read, "How about this for Tommy Gun? OK - SO LET'S AGREE ABOUT THE PRICE AND MAKE IT ONE JET AIRLINER FOR TEN PRISONERS."

Devine said the detective looked "puzzled" then "a little embarrassed" when he was told they were the lyrics were taken from The Clash’s 1970s song.

"We were having trouble working them out but I found them on the internet," he explained. "I was just texting Reg our singer to see if he thought that they sounded right."

Devine was told the reason behind the investigation was that intelligence agencies were "on a higher state of alert" due to the present climate.

London Calling are playing the Bierkeller and Fiddlers Bar in Bristol on June 11 and 30 respectively. For more information check out www.london-calling.info

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Matt Everitt

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