Morrissey Calls Stop By Police 'Deliberate Act Of Terror'

(Radio.com) Taking to social media, former The Smiths frontman Morrissey accused a police officer in Rome of harassing him in public on Tuesday (July 4) in what he calls a "deliberate act of terror."

In a Facebook post from Sam Esty Rayner, who is Morrissey's nephew, Rayner wrote that the former Smiths frontman was stopped by a police officer and asked for his "papers."

According to the post, the officer kept Morrissey for 35 minutes, demanding that he show him papers, shouting loudly, acknowledging he knew who the musician was and even brandished his firearm. Morrissey told the officer, "I know the law, I know my rights, and you have no reason to stop me."

Commenting on the situation, Morrissey wrote, "This was a deliberate act of terror by this Officer, who had no personal identification, but whose Polizia 113 motor-bike had the plate G2458. I had not broken the law or acted suspiciously." Check out the full post here.