A man who says he was stopped from taking a photograph of his own daughter by a shopping centre security team has launched a Facebook campaign calling for shoppers to boycott the centre.
Chris White said he took the picture of his daughter Hazel in the Braehead shopping centre, near Glasgow, because she looked cute eating an ice cream.
A shopping centre security guard then told him to stop since it was "illegal" to take pictures in the mall.
He was then asked to delete the photos, but replied that he had already posted them to Facebook.
Reportedly the police were then called, at which point White claims one officer cited the Prevention of Terrorism Act when threatening to take away his mobile phone.
Eventually White was allowed to leave after giving his details to police.
He then set up a Facebook page calling for a boycott of the centre, which has since attracted more than 3,500 'likes'.
"How many people have taken photos of their children in Build-A-Bear or on rides and attractions in Braehead?" White said on the Facebook page. "I was clearly shopping and intended to continue shopping at a time when retail sales are at their lowest for over a decade. I guess Braehead shopping centre must be bucking the trend."
Supt George Nedley, of Renfrewshire and Inverclyde division, told the BBC: "I can confirm we have received a complaint regarding this incident and one of my senior officers has spoken to Mr White regarding this.
"As a result a full review of the circumstances surrounding the incident and the allegations made is under way."
In a statement the shopping centre said that its staff had become suspicious of White because he was taking photographs of a child at an ice cream stall, and added that it was "better to be safe than sorry".
They also claimed that "we live in a world of potential threats from terrorists" and that its staff had a duty to be "vigilant".
"Our priority is always to maintain a safe and enjoyable environment for all our shoppers and retailers. The member of our security staff acted in good faith," the statement said.
The full statement reads:
Retail staff at an ice cream stall in Braehead became suspicious after they saw a male shopper taking photographs of a child sitting at their counter. The staff thought the man had also been taking photographs of them and they alerted one of the centre’s security staff.
The member of security staff approached the man and politely asked if he had been taking photographs. At no time in the initial conversation was the member of our security staff informed by the man that the child in question was his daughter.
Because of the nature of the incident, police became involved and also spoke to the man.
Like most shopping centres, we have a ‘no photography’ policy in the mall for two reasons. First, to protect the privacy of staff and shoppers, as we are sure shoppers would not want strangers taking photographs of them or their children while they were in the mall.
Secondly and sadly, we live in a world of potential threats from terrorists and everyone is being urged by the police to be vigilant at all times. It is not uncommon for those intending to make some kind of attack to take photographs of their intended target as part of their planning before the event.
However, it is not our intention to - and we do not - stop innocent family members taking pictures. Discretion is used at all times. Although Friday’s incident had nothing to do with a potential terrorist attack, the two retail assistants and the member of our security staff were faced with a situation they genuinely thought was suspicious. They witnessed a man taking photographs of a child, unaware that the man and the child were related. I’m sure people will agree it is better safe than sorry.