Premier League star breaks his silence after bow and arrow incident and police operation

Newcastle United player Amar Dedic has compared himself to the Lord of the Rings character Legolas after being quizzed by Northumbria Police for carrying a bow and arrows in public. Officers confiscated the weapon on Wednesday after pulling over a vehicle seven-and-a-half miles northwest of Newcastle upon Tyne in Darras Hall, one of the North East's most exclusive areas.

Two men - one of whom was Dedic, the other being his friend - were reported to the force after being seen near a reservoir in Northumberland with the weapon. Six police vehicles, including armed units, were deployed in response, and the footballer was interviewed after being located in the civil parish of Ponteland.

Newcastle were reportedly not pursuing any disciplinary measures against their player in response. A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said on Wednesday that "enquiries are ongoing".

"Shortly after 1.55pm on Wednesday, we received a report of two men carrying a bow and arrows while walking along a track by the reservoir on Military Road in the Harlow Hill area.

"Officers attended and subsequently stopped a vehicle in the Darras Hall area and seized a bow and arrows. At this stage, it is understood they were for recreational use, and there was no threat to the public."

Dedic has since responded in the comments section of a Newcastle Instagram post, in which the club celebrated his latest call-up for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The club's post reads: "Amar Dedic has been named in the Bosnia and Herzegovina squad for their games against Sweden and Romania over the international break. Congrats, @amar_dc!"

Responding to the post, Dedic shared a GIF of Legolas, an elf portrayed by Orlando Bloom in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The footage depicts the fictional archer with a quiver of arrows slung across their shoulder.

The defender's response has garnered over 20,000 likes and more than 300 replies at the time of reporting. Predictably, many included bow-and-arrow emojis after reports of the incident spread rapidly across social media this week.

Numerous other responses beneath the post are dubbing Dedic the "Bosnian Robin Hood", with one saying the "Sheriff of Nottingham will be relieved". Parallels have also been drawn with Marvel superhero Hawkeye, who wields a bow and arrow.

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Dedic has made 10 appearances for Newcastle since arriving from Benfica during the summer transfer window for approximately £30million. The defender penned a five-year deal and had previously collaborated with head coach Matthias Jaissle at Liefering and Red Bull Salzburg in Austria.

At international level, he has earned 31 caps for Bosnia. The full-back featured in three of their four fixtures at this summer's World Cup.

However, he has not played for them since then after re-aggravating a hamstring injury before this season's first international break. Bosnia went unbeaten through their first four Nations League games and are second in League B, Group 4.