A Ukip candidate is fearing for his safety after being threatened with beheading in a "particularly chilling" phone call from someone claiming to be a potential constituent.
Northumbria Police are investigating claims by David Robinson-Young that he was threatened by a man calling himself Mr Khan yesterday.
The caller said he lived in the South Gosforth area of Newcastle upon Tyne East in which Robinson-Young is campaigning ahead of the General Election.
Robinson-Young said he was "shaken" by the call, in which he said he was told: "The Muslim community is really annoyed with the British government supporting bombing Muslim countries and that the community here just wants to get on with their family lives."
Under threat: Police are investigating after Ukip candidate David Robinson-Young claims he received a call from a man threatening to behead him
After 20 minutes of "ranting", Robinson-Young said he told the caller he was going to hang up at which point the conversation took a sinister turn.
He said: "Mr Khan then swore at me saying, 'you had better f... off or you will be beheaded next'.
"After the terrible Lee Rigby incident I am very concerned about this threat, particularly at this time in an election campaign."
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Robinson Young said the caller told him that he had phoned the Ukip office after receiving one of the party's leaflets.
He added: "I'm not a man who is easily intimidated, I'm an ex-policeman and I've been subjected to numerous physical threats in the past. I left the police service because of injuries received in an assault on duty.
"I found this man's threats to be particularly chilling and it has really shaken me. However, I will not let this incident prevent me from continuing in the campaign to try and change our country for the better."
Police are yet to make an arrest.
A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said: "The matter has been reported to the police and is being investigated."