Cherwell: How did you feel as events unfolded? What were your initial emotional reactions?
Zuby: I felt extremely scared, I was confused, it was shocking. It was crazy because I had had a completely normal day up until that point and then police were pointing guns at me and handcuffing me while I had no idea why. My mind was racing, and it was surreal.
C: After the arrest on the platform, how long did it take before the police confirmed that you were not the suspect? What happened during that time?
Z: It was about 30-40 minutes before they confirmed it. From the force of their response, you could tell that they, for their part, were 100% certain that I was the guy they wanted. After the arrest I was still in a state of shock and really confused. They told me I was under Section 1 arrest for a firearms offence in Basingstoke – I hadn’t even been to Basingstoke. 30-40 minutes didn’t feel like a short time when I was there – and I had no idea how long it would take before they could confirm my identity.
C: You have had a lot of support from your friends – that much is visible from Facebook – how helpful has that been for you?
Z: My friends’ support has been great. The main support I’ve had has been from my family, though. They all heard about it and have been great. My fans too have been very supportive.
C: There has been a lot of press interest in what happened – have you found it intrusive?
Z: The press have definitely been intrusive, especially on Tuesday and Wednesday. I was getting thousands of emails, they were even coming to my house, parked outside, ringing the doorbell. It was pretty crazy. It’s weird, though, because, like lots of my friends are saying, I’ve spent so much time trying to promote my music and then this happens and suddenly the whole country is paying attention.
C: Speaking of your music, would you mind telling us what you’re working on at the moment?
Z: On that Saturday I had just been in Southampton promoting my new album, ‘The Unknown Celebrity’… It’s being received really well. The incident at Bournemouth has, I guess, introduced a lot more people to what I do.
