A fancy dress reveller who was said to have sparked panic on the Tube has hit out at claims he was dressed as a suicide bomber, saying he was actually in a soldier's outfit. Pedro Fonseca was making his way to Covent Garden last night from Putney Bridge on the London Underground dressed in camouflage gear for a work fancy dress party, where men were asked to dress as soldiers and women as princesses. He was spotted on a District Line train from Fulham Broadway to Earls Court, along with a group of friends dressed as police officers. And one commuter claims that passengers were so scared by Mr Fonseca's outfit, they were considering tackling him as he also carried a large backpack and had a 'fake bomb' strapped to his chest. But Mr Fonseca, who is originally from Portugal, refuted the claims, saying he was in fact wearing a small bag that is worn around the front of his body, as a place to keep his valuables. He also said that they encountered no trouble as he and his group of friends made their way across London to their party. He told MailOnline: 'We were on the train having fun and I was dressed as a soldier and my mates were dressed as policemen. 'It wasn't a fake bomb I was wearing around my chest, it was a small bag I was using to keep my wallet and phone in so I had easy access to them. 'I didn't want to put them in the backpack, where I wouldn't be able to see them or get to them easily.'
Mr Fonseca, who works for restaurant chain Byron, who were throwing the party for staff, also dismissed claims that people were uncomfortable on the Tube, saying they were joining in with the fun. He explained: 'We were having fun on the Tube and people were having fun with us together. 'Some were even asking my friends who were dressed as police to handcuff them to the the hand rails for a joke. Honestly, we didn't have any problems at all. 'London is a big city so if there had been a problem, I'm sure that the police would have been on us straight away. 'When we got to the venue everyone was dressed as soldiers and camouflage without a problem.'
The row came after a picture came to light on Twitter of Mr Fonseca and his friends on the Tube with one passenger saying he was dressed as a suicide bomber. Alec Wilson, a graphic designer spotted the man and said that they were making people feel very uncomfortable. The 29-year-old said: 'The guy in the camouflage had a black camera-type bag with a detonation cord strapped to his chest. 'I looked up and was really worried for a moment, my immediate reaction for a split second was to tackle him. 'A lot of other passengers looked really uncomfortable around them. 'I presume it was some kind of stag night or fancy dress or something but it was very strange and really inappropriate.' He also wrote on Twitter: 'These d**** are dressed up as the police and a suicide bomber, on the tube. Hope they get shot by the actual police.'
A spokesman for British Transport Police said: 'While this incident was not reported to us by anyone on the train, it is insensitive and crass behaviour in the light of recent terrorist attacks across the world and the threat to the UK currently at severe. 'It is important for everyone to remember the need to be responsible and considerate to fellow passengers while making your journey.
''We would always encourage anyone to report anything they think is suspicious or which makes them uncomfortable to us, to allow us to establish if any further action is needed.'
