Community | November 04, 2010 | 57 comments

11-08-10 Update: Young Asian Man Used an "Elderly White Man" Disguise to Board an Air Canada Flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver

source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/11/04/canada.disguised.passenger/index.html?hpt=C1

Image
EthicalVegan
SCROLL DOWN TO READ MOST RECENT UPDATE...

----

Canadian authorities are investigating an "unbelievable" incident in which a passenger boarded an Air Canada flight disguised as an elderly man, according to a confidential alert obtained by CNN.

The incident occurred on October 29 on Air Canada flight AC018 to Vancouver originating in Hong Kong. An intelligence alert from the Canada Border Services Agency describes the incident as an "unbelievable case of concealment."

"Information was received from Air Canada Corporate Security regarding a possible imposter on a flight originating from Hong Kong," the alert says. "The passenger in question was observed at the beginning of the flight to be an elderly Caucasian male who appeared to have young looking hands. During the flight the subject attended the washroom and emerged an Asian looking male that appeared to be in his early 20s."

After landing in Canada, Border Services Officers (BSOs) escorted the man off the plane where he "proceeded to make a claim for refugee protection," the alert says.

"The subject initially claimed to be in possession of one bag; however, flight crew approached the BSOs with two additional pieces of luggage which were believed to belong to the subject. One bag contained the subject's personal clothing items while the second contained a pair of gloves. The third contained a 'disguise kit' which consisted of a silicone type head and neck mask of an elderly Caucasian male, a brown leather cap, glasses and a thin brown cardigan."

The man put on the disguise for the officers who "noted he very much resembled an elderly Caucasian man, complete with mimicking the movements of an elderly person. The subject admitted at this time that he had boarded the flight with the mask on and had removed it several hours later," according to the alert.

"We can confirm that officials from the CBSA met a passenger arriving off AC018 Hong Kong to Vancouver on October 29 and the matter is still under investigation," said Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick, who noted that "there are multiple identity checks before departure at the Hong Kong international airport, including Chinese government-run Hong Kong passport control, which Hong Kong originating passengers must undergo."

Hong Kong officials said they are aware of the incident and would call back with more information later.

Jennifer Bourque, regional communications officer for the CBSA, confirmed that "we intercepted an individual, on October 29, attempting to enter Canada under false pretenses on-board an Air Canada flight."

"CBSA can confirm that the foreign national is currently in CBSA detention," she said. "The individual will present before an IRB hearing. The officials of the CBSA will not disclose further information on this file."

Because of Privacy Act regulations, she said, she cannot provide details about specific cases.

"However, I can tell you that CBSA officers examine all passengers arriving on international flights at Vancouver International Airport," she said. "CBSA works closely with air carriers and local, national and international law enforcement partners, to ensure the safety of our borders and our communities. Getting the right information at the right time is a key element in keeping Canada's border closed to safety and security threats."

The agency would not discuss when or why the man put on the disguise or details about how he boarded the plane. But the alert indicated that the suspect boarded the plane with a board pass belonging to another passenger.

"It is believed that the subject and the actual United States Citizen passenger (whose date of birth is 1955) performed a boarding pass swap, with the subject using an Aeroplan card as identification to board the flight," the alert said.

Aeroplan is a credit card where card holders can earn frequent flyer miles.
  1. groups:
    Community,   News and Politics,   Current Tonight,   World News,   2 more
  2. tags:
    Canada,  Airplanes,  Hong Kong,  Air Canada,  16 more
  3.     
    |

57 comments // 11-08-10 Update: Young Asian Man Used an "Elderly White Man" Disguise to Board an Air Canada Flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver

  • EthicalVegan
    • 0
      EthicalVegan  
    • Image

    • http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/11/08/canada.disguised.on.a.plane/index.h...

      Exclusive: Passenger says she warned crew about man in disguise
      Scott Zamost , CNN Senior Investigative Producer
      November 8, 2010 7:34 p.m. EST

      STORY HIGHLIGHTS

      * Nuray Kurtur-Balas says "elderly" man had the hands of "a 20-year-old kid"
      * A flight attendant said the man did nothing wrong, she says
      * Air Canada: The crew took "necessary measures"

      Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- A passenger on the Air Canada flight in which a young Asian man boarded disguised as an elderly man says she tried to warn the crew about the mask but was rebuffed.

      Nuray Kurtur-Balas said she approached three flight attendants before take-off from Hong Kong, but nothing was done.

      "I thought he was going to harm the plane," Kurtur-Balas, 35, told CNN. "I kept my iPhone in my pocket to call my family if something happened."

      Officials said the man apparently boarded the plane wearing the mask and removed the disguise during a trip to the plane's restroom while it was in flight.

      In a statement e-mailed to CNN, Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzgerald said, "Our crew took the necessary measures in-flight to ensure that CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency) authorities met the aircraft at the gate upon landing."

      Kurtur-Balas, a clothing retail production manager, contacted CNN after reading an article about the incident and provided a copy of her boarding pass to confirm she was on the flight.

      The incident was so bizarre that when she returned home and told her husband what happened, he didn't believe her.

      "He said, 'You are watching too much 'CSI' and 'Criminal Minds,'" she said.

      The incident happened on October 29, which coincidentally, was her 35th birthday.

      The Asian man in his early 20s boarded the Air Canada flight from Hong Kong wearing an elaborate silicone mask of an elderly man, according to an alert from the Canada Border Services Agency. After the plane landed in Vancouver, he was questioned by officers from the agency. The man requested refugee protection and admitted that he boarded the flight in the disguise.

      Chuck Strahl, the Canadian Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, said both Canadian authorities and Air Canada are conducting investigations into the incident.

      "Obviously, we are very concerned about what happened and will be taking whatever steps are necessary to make sure it doesn't happen again," Strahl said.

      Kurtur-Balas said she was returning from a business trip in Hong Kong and first noticed the man when she was walking to the restroom before the flight took off. She said she was ten rows in front of him. He was sitting in a middle seat near one of the restrooms, she said, and the crew was trying to get him to stand up so another passenger could get to her window seat.

      "The lady was trying to get to her window seat, but he wouldn't move," Kurtur-Balas told CNN. "He wouldn't move or understand what people were saying. Two flight attendants were trying to talk to him. I was standing there trying to go to the restroom. Finally, he stood up, and he came towards me and I just showed him with my finger where he was supposed to sit."

      When she left the restroom, she said, she noticed that he was wearing a mask and that his hands appeared much younger.

      "It wasn't a real person's skin. It looked plastic," she told CNN. I said to the flight attendant, 'Did you check out that person's hands? They seem like they belong to a 20-year-old kid. There are no wrinkles.' She said 'good observation.'"

      After not getting a response, she said she spoke to a second flight attendant.

      "Did you check it out? I'm feeling nervous going on this flight," she said she told the attendant. "He said 'We'll look into it,' then again nobody said anything."

      Finally, she said, she spoke to a third flight attendant before the plane departed Hong Kong. The attendant told her the man had not done anything wrong and explained he may have a medical condition.

      "I was thinking the whole time he was wearing a mask," Kurtur-Balas said. "Why would somebody wear a mask if they have a medical issue?"

      "I was thinking he was going to blow the plane up. I know it sounds crazy, but that's what I thought," she said. "I wouldn't feel nervous if he was just a guy trying to go to Canada and file to become a refugee."

      Kutur-Balas said she kept looking back at the man during the flight, but after several hours, she said his seat was empty and she didn't see him.

      About half way through the flight, she said attendants seated a young Asian man in the empty seat next to her. She said the man was wearing a striped blue shirt. Photos of the Asian man with and without the disguise were contained in the alert from the Canada Border Services Agency about the incident. She said she could not be sure, but it could have been the same man who was moved next to her during the flight.

      "The flight attendant said this guy's seat was not working so they sat him right next to me in the middle seat," she said.

      After the plane landed, she did not see the man again.

      Last week, when she was downloading the CNN.com application to her iPhone, she read the article about the disguised man.

      "I said, 'Oh my God, this is the guy I saw on the plane.' My husband said, 'Are you serious?' I said, 'I told you I wasn't crazy."'

    • 1 year ago
  • div
    • 0
      div  

    • Oh, yeah, I'm sure the guy (who clearly had enough resources to put together this mask) is a refugee. Totally sure.

    • 1 year ago
  • WeBelieve
  • ayipis
  • insaintity
  • div
  • div
  • Sparky2U
  • yepyep
  • marathonrunner
  • themotivateddropout
  • bailey78
    • +2
      bailey78  

    • Well I must say some body does Good work with silicone . He could be in a special effects type job some where. Hope he gets to stay.

    • 1 year ago
  • ozoneocean
  • UtopianSky
    • +3
      UtopianSky  

    • 1.) I cannot believe any mask could ever fool anyone.

      2.) Why would he have to do this? Is he a wanted criminal? Is he forbidden from traveling?

      Why couldn't the young Asian man just impersonate a young Asian man?

    • 1 year ago
  • Bazinga
  • fdsfdg
  • bertkamp
  • gfchfgj
  • bertkamp
  • dudefromtherock
  • bailey78
  • insaintity
  • bailey78
  • Dmerza1989
    • +2
      Dmerza1989  

    • they didnt notice when an old white man came up and said "Herro prease one ricket prease" or on the plane when they said what drink he wanted and he said "sprii" Come on!

    • 1 year ago
  • ozoneocean
    • +2
      ozoneocean  

    • So... dressed as that old guy he had the papers of a man born in 1955...? And THAT didn't alert them? Looks a LOT older than 55.

      You have to wonder why he needed another bag for the mask, cap and cardigan... All he needed to do was just take off the mask and still wear the rest. That indicates to me that his plan was messed up for some reason- he probably wanted to blend into the crowd, and quietly dispose of the disguise somewhere. I wonder if he really IS looking for asylum and not perhaps a criminal or a spy?

    • 1 year ago
  • maasanova
  • freecrack
more from Community:
from the community

top videos