Back in 2000, nine Afghan men hijacked a Boeing 727 flight containing 160 people, claiming that they were fleeing a Taliban death squad. The plane eventually landed at Stansted Airport in the UK, and the men, who hijacked the plane to try to seek asylum in the UK, were arrested after a four-day standoff. After serving several years in prison for hijacking and other crimes, the men (and several passengers) were granted asylum in the UK.
Now, it appears that one of the hijackers, Nazamuddin Mohammidy, has been found to be working as a custodian at London’s Heathrow Airport. Security officials originally mistook the man for an unlicensed cab driver and upon investigation, discovered that he was a former hijacker. The man’s British Airways security pass granted him access into secure areas, but did not– according to British Airways– give him access to the planes themselves.
Comforting!
More here.