Old white guy boards jet, arrives in B.C. as young Asian
The Associated Press
A young Asian man who boarded an Air Canada flight in Hong Kong elaborately disguised as an elderly white man is seeking refugee status in Canada in what border officials are calling an "unbelievable case of concealment."
An internal intelligence alert from the Canada Border Services Agency shows before-and-after photos, and describes how the man boarded the flight in Hong Kong on Oct. 29 wearing a silicone mask of an old man.
The passenger was seen at the start of the flight as an "elderly Caucasian male who appeared to have young looking hands," the bulletin said. During the flight, however, "the subject attended the washroom and emerged an Asian-looking male that appeared to be in his early 20s."
The document, which was provided by a Canadian official on condition of anonymity, says the man had a bag that 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 bulletin, which carried the headline "Unbelievable Case of Concealment," said information was received by Air Canada Corporate Security regarding a possible impostor.
CNN reported that according to the Nov. 1 bulletin, a "possible impostor" was identified by Air Canada Corporate Security after a seemingly elderly man was spotted with "younger looking hands."
The bulletin said the man later admitted to officials that he had boarded the flight with the mask on and had removed it several hours later.
It says they believe the man and another passenger performed a boarding-pass swap. The government official said a U.S. passport was involved.
Chris McCluskey, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, said a man was in detention and added that the matter is before Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board. A spokeswoman for the board declined to comment.
Air Canada officials confirmed a passenger on board Flight AC018 had been met by border-services officials in Vancouver, B.C.
"It should be 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," Air Canada spokeswoman Angela Mah said.
John Babcock, a spokesman for Canada's Transport Minister Chuck Strahl, declined to release details but said airlines have the responsibility to verify the identity of all passengers who appear to be 18 years of age or older.
"That means air carriers are supposed to look at a passenger's entire face to determine if they appear to be over 18 and if so, compare their physical appearance with their travel documents," Babcock said.
The Vancouver Sun reported that immigration lawyer Richard Kurland speculated the man went through domestic security at the Hong Kong airport before putting on his disguise, after which he likely swapped boarding passes with another passenger and feigned mobility and communication problems to pass through gate security.
It's believed the man swapped boarding passes with a U.S. citizen and passenger who was born in 1955.
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I completely overlooked my GRE word of the post while writing my previous entry! Shame on me! panegyric (noun): a writing or speech in praise of a person or thing
I would offer the aforementioned Asian man a panegyric, but honestly...how could he neglect to give himself old man hands?!?!?
The Associated Press
A young Asian man who boarded an Air Canada flight in Hong Kong elaborately disguised as an elderly white man is seeking refugee status in Canada in what border officials are calling an "unbelievable case of concealment."
An internal intelligence alert from the Canada Border Services Agency shows before-and-after photos, and describes how the man boarded the flight in Hong Kong on Oct. 29 wearing a silicone mask of an old man.
The passenger was seen at the start of the flight as an "elderly Caucasian male who appeared to have young looking hands," the bulletin said. During the flight, however, "the subject attended the washroom and emerged an Asian-looking male that appeared to be in his early 20s."
The document, which was provided by a Canadian official on condition of anonymity, says the man had a bag that 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 bulletin, which carried the headline "Unbelievable Case of Concealment," said information was received by Air Canada Corporate Security regarding a possible impostor.
CNN reported that according to the Nov. 1 bulletin, a "possible impostor" was identified by Air Canada Corporate Security after a seemingly elderly man was spotted with "younger looking hands."
The bulletin said the man later admitted to officials that he had boarded the flight with the mask on and had removed it several hours later.
It says they believe the man and another passenger performed a boarding-pass swap. The government official said a U.S. passport was involved.
Chris McCluskey, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, said a man was in detention and added that the matter is before Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board. A spokeswoman for the board declined to comment.
Air Canada officials confirmed a passenger on board Flight AC018 had been met by border-services officials in Vancouver, B.C.
"It should be 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," Air Canada spokeswoman Angela Mah said.
John Babcock, a spokesman for Canada's Transport Minister Chuck Strahl, declined to release details but said airlines have the responsibility to verify the identity of all passengers who appear to be 18 years of age or older.
"That means air carriers are supposed to look at a passenger's entire face to determine if they appear to be over 18 and if so, compare their physical appearance with their travel documents," Babcock said.
The Vancouver Sun reported that immigration lawyer Richard Kurland speculated the man went through domestic security at the Hong Kong airport before putting on his disguise, after which he likely swapped boarding passes with another passenger and feigned mobility and communication problems to pass through gate security.
It's believed the man swapped boarding passes with a U.S. citizen and passenger who was born in 1955.
---
I completely overlooked my GRE word of the post while writing my previous entry! Shame on me! panegyric (noun): a writing or speech in praise of a person or thing
I would offer the aforementioned Asian man a panegyric, but honestly...how could he neglect to give himself old man hands?!?!?
2 comments:
how did he get pass all the checkpoints? 0_0
You just can't trust those Asian guys :) I'm sad you're not coming this weekend, it would have been fun to see you again!
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