“I went to open the car but people shouted at me to leave it because they thought it might explode.” 

Army bomb disposal experts, firefighters and specialist police negotiators were drafted in after a truck driver found the car and raised the alarm at 10.23am yesterday.

The alert brought widespread disruption to the city’s rail network delaying trains to and from the city’s New Street train station as a 500 metres exclusion zone was set up around the car.

A bomb disposal officer wearing full protective equipment brought the seven-hour security alert to an end at about 5pm after approaching the vehicle to manually check the device and giving the emergency services the all-clear to rescue the victim.

Chief Supt Tom Coughlan, from Queens Road police, said: “This action is reprehensible.

“This was clearly a kidnap situation although no demand had been made. We will pursue those who did this with vigour.”

Forensics specialists carried out a detailed examination of the car.