Kiwi 'terror' suspect arrested over photos

A New Zealand student has been arrested as a suspected terrorist in the United States - because he took photographs of trains.

Bay'an Hedayaty, 30, formerly of Auckland, was at a Hollywood Metroline station taking pictures for a photography class assignment when he noticed people running away from him and he was bailed up by eight deputies from the LA County Sheriff's Department.

He told the Valley Star in LA that a deputy slammed him against the wall and demanded: "Are you a terrorist?"

He was taken away for questioning and released after an hour.

In a later session with the FBI he found it had compiled a file on him "as thick as a 70-page notebook".