Hyderabad, September 1 (IANS) A Hyderabad Muslim youth deported from Britain on suspected terror links and held here on grounds of "reasonable suspicion" was granted bail Thursday.

The executive magistrate of a city court granted bail to Mohammed Shafiq Ahmed, 23, who was arrested soon after he arrived here from London via Mumbai.

Shafiq, a resident of Akbar Bagh neighbourhood in the city, has denied any terror links and said that his arrest was a case of racial profiling.

Earlier, he was arrested by the authorities at London's Heathrow airport as he was about to board a flight to New York. He was interrogated for three days in London and was also grilled by Indian intelligence agencies at the Mumbai airport Tuesday.

Shafiq, who was working in a trading company in Dubai and staying with his brother, had flown from Dubai to London and was to go to New York for higher studies.

Police here interrogated him about his reasons to go to the US. Though Shafiq said he was going to pursue an MBA programme at the Johnson and Wales University at Rhodes Island, police doubt his academic certificates. However, both his passport and visa were found in order.

According to officials, a case had been booked against Shafiq in 2004 at Malakpet police station for allegedly threatening local legislator Malreddy Ranga Reddy. He had been charged with criminal intimidation.

He had threatened the legislator after a youth was killed in firing by a visiting Gujarat police team while he was trying to free one Moulana Naseeruddin, who had been arrested in connection with the murder of former Gujarat home minister Haren Pandya.

Shafiq told newsmen while in police custody that his arrest was a case of racial profiling. "They are looking at every Asian and every Muslim with suspicion," he said.

He claimed he was mentally tortured by the British police when they asked him about the 9/11 terror attack and the recent conspiracy to blow up trans-Atlantic flights.

"I told them that I knew nothing about this as it is all international politics," he said.

Fed up with the grilling, the youth had even threatened to commit suicide.

He said just as he thought that his ordeal would end, he was held on arrival in Hyderabad.

Shafiq, son of a retired government employee, said he had gone to Dubai a year ago and had a valid Indian passport. He obtained a student visa for the US and had all valid travel documents to reach New York via London.