An Air Canada agent let a man disguised as an elderly person get onto a flight with a fake ID
That is what caused some confusion on a flight from Hong Kong to Canada on October 29th. An elderly man entered the airplane bathroom and a 20 year old Asian man came out. It’s like a line to a joke, except this was no joke.
Somehow the Asian man swapped passports with a 55 year old man. He then boarded the plane and took off his “disguise kit,” which included a silicone type head and neck mask of an elderly Caucasian male. He also wore a brown leather cap, a brown sweater and glasses. Once he came out of the bathroom he caught the attention of some people that had watched him go in.
This probably cleared up some confusion for nearby passengers that reported seeing this elderly man with very young looking hands.
The passenger in question is thought to be a refugee looking for asylum. He is thought to be in his 20’s and he does not speak English. Chances are he is not the one who came up with this elaborate plan.
According to his lawyer Lee Rankin, he did have assistance. He said many of these people rely on smugglers who get them the ID’s they need and they tell them where to go and what to do.
Rankin is frustrated that this information was leaked to CNN. He doesn’t want his client to be paraded around in front of the media and possibly endangering his safety. He also accused immigration officers of making an “example” out of his client.
Canada now needs to make some decisions. This man was not a threat or violent, but if they allow him to stay, they will be the country that is known for it’s open doors, which can lead to problems.
Air Canada has now been put in the spotlight. The federal government is doing a full investigation of their security procedures.
