SEPANG: Finally, answers will be forthcoming on how a Palestinian breached security at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Malaysian authorities had been lamenting that they had no access to stowaway, Osama R.M. Shublaq, and did not have a clue on how he had boarded a Singapore Airlines flight at KLIA.
They were contemplating making a request to Singapore to question the 27-year-old Palestinian who was being held in the republic.
Their concerns were put to rest yesterday when Osama was deported to Malaysia after the Singapore Subordinate Courts acquitted him of entering the republic illegally.
He was put on a Singapore Airlines flight which landed at KLIA at 5.55pm and was immediately taken into custody by Immigration Department officials.
Osama was later handed over to Sepang police and questioned for over an hour by the Selangor CID chief SAC II Mazlan Mansor, who is heading investigations.
Mazlan said this was a matter of national security and declined to comment further.
It is, however, learnt that Osama had maintained that he had entered Malaysia legally although Immigration Department records showed no evidence of him entering the country.
Checks are now being conducted to verify his claim.
Osama was then sent to the KLIA police lock-up and is expected to be produced at the Sepang magistrate’s court today where police will apply for a remand order.
He is being investigated for trespassing on a protected area, a charge under Section 7 of Protected Areas and Protected Places Act 1959 which carries a two-year jail sentence with fine upon conviction.
Authorities here were concerned because after five days of intense investigations, they were clueless as to how Osama had breached security at KLIA.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy had said that they did not know how the Palestinian made it to the KLIA tarmac unnoticed.
Osama had not appeared on any closed-circuit television camera nor were there any intrusions along the perimeter fencing.
On claims that this incident was a major security breach, Chan said that the International Civil Aviation Organisation had conducted a security audit late last year and the airport was found to be in full compliance with requirements.
The incident, however, left KLIA officials red-faced as it happened at a time when airports around the world were tightening security procedures.
Osama was discovered when he fell 2.4 metres from the nose wheel well of the Boeing 777-200 when the plane landed at the Changi International Airport in Singapore on Oct 12.
Flight staff were amazed that the man survived the journey as he could have been crushed by the retracting nose wheel, lack of oxygen at high altitude or the cold.
Source: The New Straits Times
Malaysian authorities had been lamenting that they had no access to stowaway, Osama R.M. Shublaq, and did not have a clue on how he had boarded a Singapore Airlines flight at KLIA.
They were contemplating making a request to Singapore to question the 27-year-old Palestinian who was being held in the republic.
Their concerns were put to rest yesterday when Osama was deported to Malaysia after the Singapore Subordinate Courts acquitted him of entering the republic illegally.
He was put on a Singapore Airlines flight which landed at KLIA at 5.55pm and was immediately taken into custody by Immigration Department officials.
Osama was later handed over to Sepang police and questioned for over an hour by the Selangor CID chief SAC II Mazlan Mansor, who is heading investigations.
Mazlan said this was a matter of national security and declined to comment further.
It is, however, learnt that Osama had maintained that he had entered Malaysia legally although Immigration Department records showed no evidence of him entering the country.
Checks are now being conducted to verify his claim.
Osama was then sent to the KLIA police lock-up and is expected to be produced at the Sepang magistrate’s court today where police will apply for a remand order.
He is being investigated for trespassing on a protected area, a charge under Section 7 of Protected Areas and Protected Places Act 1959 which carries a two-year jail sentence with fine upon conviction.
Authorities here were concerned because after five days of intense investigations, they were clueless as to how Osama had breached security at KLIA.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy had said that they did not know how the Palestinian made it to the KLIA tarmac unnoticed.
Osama had not appeared on any closed-circuit television camera nor were there any intrusions along the perimeter fencing.
On claims that this incident was a major security breach, Chan said that the International Civil Aviation Organisation had conducted a security audit late last year and the airport was found to be in full compliance with requirements.
The incident, however, left KLIA officials red-faced as it happened at a time when airports around the world were tightening security procedures.
Osama was discovered when he fell 2.4 metres from the nose wheel well of the Boeing 777-200 when the plane landed at the Changi International Airport in Singapore on Oct 12.
Flight staff were amazed that the man survived the journey as he could have been crushed by the retracting nose wheel, lack of oxygen at high altitude or the cold.
Source: The New Straits Times
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