The Manchester United and England footballer Chris Smalling has apologised for his ‘ill thought out and insensitive’ decision to dress as a suicide bomber at a fancy dress party.

The 24-year-old sparked outrage after being photographed dressed in an Arabic kaffiyeh headdress and military-style vest with a fake circuit board and cables attached. Smalling claimed the outfit was ‘an attempted comedy play’ on the popular ‘Jagerbomb’ alcoholic drink, which is thought to be why he attached bottles of Jagermeister and Red Bull to his belt as imitation grenades. The costume has caused fury among survivors and relatives of those affected by terrorist attacks. Speaking to the Sun the father of a young man who died in the July 7 2005 terror attacks in London said he ‘could not condemn the costume strongly enough’. Oldham resident Graham Foulkes, 61, whose 22-year-old son David was killed at Edgware Road by suicide bomber Sidique Khan added: ‘It is one of the most offensive things I have ever seen’. Jacqui Putnam, who survived the Edgware Road blast in 2005, said people should ‘think twice’ before making light of terrorism. She said that even after eight years, people affected are still coming to terms with the terror attack, adding ‘It does not make it any easier when you see people who make light of it.’ ‘It is silliness really. I do not think people who do these things mean any harm but unfortunately the affect it has on people like me and people who are in a worse position – those who lost loved ones – is hurtful,’ she said. Ms Putman went on to say: ‘I am sure that he did not mean to offend anyone but I wish people would think twice… If people could only think twice about the pain this could cause to people who have lost loved ones in these circumstances it would be appreciated by survivors and the bereaved alike.’