Last December, a terrifying security breach occurred at London’s Heathrow Airport. It has now emerged that a 46-year-old Briton sneaked aboard a British Airways passenger plane bound for New York without a passport or ticket. The stowaway was only discovered after landing in the US. He was arrested and had to fly back.
As the British Daily Mail reported, Craig Sturt managed to get through security checks in Terminal 5 by slipstreaming from other passengers. During the eight-hour flight, food and drinks were provided for the 46-year-old, just like for all other (but paying) guests.
When he arrived at JFK Airport, Sturt was the last stop; he was arrested and had to take the next plane back to his home country on Christmas Day, where he was initially admitted to a hospital in the English city of Reading. The man managed to escape there. The search for Sturt has been going on ever since. A police mugshot was released on January 30.
Home Affairs Minister demands “answers”
Security authorities in both the US and Britain are shocked. “It is difficult to imagine what would have happened if a terrorist had boarded a plane unnoticed,” the British “Sun” quoted a police informant. Home Secretary James Cleverly is demanding “urgent answers” into how this incident occurred.
British Airways told media it was working closely with authorities. A spokeswoman for Heathrow Airport stressed that “all people flying will be subject to security screening.” This also happened in this case. How Sturt got through without papers remains a mystery for now.
Source: Krone
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