Syed Husain was stopped twice in the queue
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London Eye bosses have apologised to a family from Dubai who were initially stopped from boarding, apparently after being overheard speaking in Arabic.
Syed Husain, 65, of Manor House, north London, was stopped while showing his sister and brother-in-law the sights.
He said it was when his sister started speaking Arabic in the queue that a security guard's attitude changed.
British Airways, which runs the London Eye, has written to apologise and offered him two free tickets.
Mr Husain has lived in London for 30 years and was showing his family around as they visited from Dubai.
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As soon as the security guard heard my sister speak to her husband in Arabic, the attitude towards us changed
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They joined the queue at the London Eye, on the South Bank, and went through the usual security checks.
But Mr Husain said: "As soon as the security guard heard my sister speak to her husband in Arabic, the attitude towards us changed. They said: 'Sorry, you can't carry a bag with you'."
Mr Husain's bag was searched and he was told to bring it to a locker at Waterloo Station, while his sister and her husband were held in a secure area nearby.
He returned without the bag and the three queued again but were confronted by the same security guard, who asked if he was carrying knives.
"I was surprised, he had already searched me, now he is asking for knives. I said 'no', then he pushed his hand inside my pocket, searching for knives. He couldn't find any knives. He then let us inside the capsule."
In response British Airways said: "The London Eye employs people from all nationalities, cultures and religions and we will not refuse any entry unless it is a breach of company policies and procedures."
Mr Husain's ordeal happened in June, but he was prompted to contact BBC London after two Asian men were escorted off a plane last week because passengers were worried about "suspicious behaviour".
It pre-dated the arrests this month over an alleged plot to blow up several transatlantic airliners.