The young Indian stowaway who hid in a toilet on an Air India Haj charter flight carrying 273 passengers from Saudi Arabia to return to his country was on Sunday booked under the Passport Act while the Airline said the crew did not see him as a "security threat".
In a major security breach, the 25-year-old man Habib Hussain sneaked into the Jaipur-bound plane at Medina and hid into the toilet. His presence came to light about half an hour after the flight took off from Medina when a passenger went to the toilet. The aircraft arrived in Jaipur on Friday night.
Preliminary interrogation of Hussain, who has been arrested, has not revealed any intention to cause any harm, a police source said in Jaipur. He hailed from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh and working as a cleaner at Medina airport with a Saudi ground handling company.
"Jaipur Police, ATS (Anti-Terrorist Squad) and SOG (Special Operation Group) of Rajasthan Police are interrogating the man and officials of Military Intelligence will also interrogate him," the source said, adding Hussain was booked under the Passport Act
"Investigation so far reveals that his aim was just to escape from his employer in Medina and get back home. But at the same time, this is a very serious thing which could put passengers' lives at stake," an official said.
Hussain managed to board the Air India flight without ticket and passport on the pretext of cleaning it.
In New Delhi, Air India said in a statement that it was ascertained that Hussain "did not pose any threat to the safety and security of the aircraft and the passengers".
The airline said it has sought an explanation from the Medina ground handling company as to how one of its employees boarded the aircraft. PTI
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