A Norwegian traveler boarded two flights at Munich Airport without having a valid ticket for both aircraft, police said on Tuesday.
While his fraud was quickly discovered the first time, he was able to repeat the same trick just one day later – and board a flight to Sweden.
What we know about the security scam
On August 4, the 39-year-old succeeded for the first time in deceiving security guards at Bavaria’s largest turnstile.
Although passengers usually scan their boarding passes at an automatic gate, Picture The newspaper reported that the devious Scandinavian stood next to another traveler and squeezed through without him.
He also slipped past the flight crew at the gate and boarded a plane bound for Hamburg.
The plane was fully booked and since the man had no seat left, his trick was discovered.
The alleged stowaway was handed over to the police and charged, but was immediately released and returned to the airport a day later.
He used the same technique to board a flight to Stockholm that was not fully booked, said police spokesman Sebastian Pinta. This time the plane took off with him on board.
It was not stated which airline was involved.
Shocking discovery in Stockholm
When he arrived in the Swedish capital, the man quickly caught the attention of the airport staff because he wanted to fly back to Munich immediately.
The man was arrested by Swedish police, who also found a knife with a 10-centimeter-long blade on him. Despite this, according to Pinta, the man was not considered a threat.
The exact circumstances of the incident are currently being clarified, explained airport spokesman Henner Euring, but this will take some time.
“We are investigating how the passenger was able to bypass the automatic boarding pass check before security. The airline also carries out boarding pass checks at the boarding gates and is responsible for the checks there.”
German police said the man was being investigated for illegal entry and transport fraud. It was unclear whether the man was asked for identification at any point.
rc/wmr (AFP)
