Psychologist says he was too big for security scanners at Heathrow

John Amaechi, a psychologist and ex-basketball player, said he was left feeling angry and humiliated after being privately searched at Heathrow airport after being told he was too big for the security scanners.

Amaechi said he had the invasive search after first being randomly selected by a beep from a security arch. Staff blamed his height when he was flagged by a second scanner in the first-class security queue at Terminal 5.

A 52-year-old speaker, company director and bestselling author, was heading to the British Airways lounge before a flight to Dublin last Wednesday for a board meeting of a company listed as FTSE. He said he has been selected for additional searches at airports on 50% of trips as a frequent traveller.

Amaechi said he was too big at security, but he had never been told before. He said I am a 6 ft 9 in black man standing in security, clearly not able to move on from my free will and the passengers in that salubrious part of the airport are looking at me, like what he did as I stand there for 12 -- 15 minutes before any one shows up.

Then you go into a private room where two men watch you while you are searched more invasive than when people can see you. The idea that a random beep can escalate to that is outrageous to me. Heathrow said it was investigating the incident. The airport didn't answer if there was a maximum height for passengers to pass through its scanners. Amaechi said they were standard scanners. I have been in them many times. After Amaechi tweeted about the incident, white British champion rower Matthew Pinsent replied: Data point from a similar sized bloke. I have never been selected for private search at a UK airport. They didn't know they existed. People of colour were randomly selected for additional searches, which was echoed by long-running experiences of being randomly selected for additional searches.

Amaechi told the Guardian: I am extraordinarily privileged. It exercises me so much because I recognise that if it happened to me good lord, what is it like for everyone else? No amount of preparation or education can prevent this. Amaechi said that two of the three security officers, who were Asian, polite, courteous, apologetic and out of personal experience, were part of a system that says some people look like trouble and some don't. It is not Heathrow's problem in terms of its source but it is in Heathrow's gift to change how they respond. He compared it to previous experiences of being stopped and searched while wearing a suit. A random beep should not lead to a point where people have never been stopped for 15 minutes and wonders what act I have committed. They are all wondering what I have done, because most of these people have never been stopped. He said he had no difficulty entering the US, often regarded as having the most stringent borders, after going through the process for its global entry programme. He said if I were able to escape this, I would happily have a conversation with the UK border agency in the same way. It is not about the time, it is about the humiliation and it is not about the process. A Heathrow spokeswoman said: "We understand that being called for additional security checks can have an impact on a passenger experience at the airport, and this will only happen for reasons of security." When this is needed, we invite the passenger to a private room so that checks can take place promptly and in private.

We want to make everyone feel welcome at Heathrow, whether they are a passenger or colleague, and want to be reassured that additional screening will only take place for reasons of security.