Asylum seeker with knife tried to board plane
A SECURITY alert was triggered after an asylum seeker from Sudan tried to board a plane at Birmingham Airport, armed with a knife.
Officers were forced to tackle Abdelrahman Abdelkarim when he attempted to get air-side with the weapon. He had no ticket or passport.
Abdelkarim, 28, of New Street, Dudley, was jailed for 14 months after admitting possessing a knife.
Birmingham Crown Court heard the incident happened just before 6pm on April 28.
The defendant triggered an alarm when he tried to “tailgate” a female passenger who was going through the barrier.
When it was discovered he had no documents, he was turned back but then tried again.
On the second occasion security guards were called, who were forced to take him to the ground.
Abdelkarim later told police that he had been trying to board a flight to Dubai and then go on to Sudan.
When he was searched, he was found to have a kitchen knife with a blade seven to eight inches long concealed in his waistband. He admitted he had taken it from his home in Dudley.
Timothy Sapwell, prosecuting, said he gave no explanation for having the weapon, although it was later suggested it was a “cultural habit.”
He said as a result of “obvious concerns” the matter was referred to anti-terrorist officers, although they concluded it could be handled by local police.
Mr Sapwell said Abdelkarim had illegally entered the UK in 2015, and had been granted asylum and leave to stay which is due to lapse next year.
Judge Heidi Kubic said the defendant had been “caught red-handed” and there had been a risk of serious disorder. But she accepted what he had done was “unsophisticated” and he was not considered to be a terror risk.
Antonie Muller, defending, said it had been “strange behaviour” and continued “were it not for the present climate regarding air travel this might be laughable.
“Breezing through those barriers without a boarding pass would have been impossible. He could not possibly have succeeded. It is clearly just surreal.”
Mr Muller said Abdelkarim had returned to the airport two days later, this time without a weapon, and was arrested. Since he came to this country Abdelkarim had worked at a factory and lived in modest accommodation.