Student pilot arrested 'after jumping airport fence and boarding a jet'
'There obviously seemed to be planning involved'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Florida's Orlando Melbourne International Airport was on lockdown for five hours in the early hours of Thursday morning after a student pilot jumped the fence and boarded an aeroplane.
The passenger jet was undergoing maintenance and no one is believed to have been on board at the time, but an employee spotted the man and called airport police, who reportedly arrived in two minutes and apprehended the man.
The student, who is believed to be from Trinidad, parked his red sedan on a road near the runway at around 2am, before jumping over the fence, running across the apron and boarding the American Airline Airbus A321, airport spokeswoman Lori Booker told CNN.
"There obviously seemed to be planning involved," she said.
A sticker on his car indicated he lived in the area at least recently, as did some of his social media posts, she said, adding she was not sure which flight school he attended.
The man is yet to be identified and his motive remains a mystery.
The airport remained on lockdown for five hours, returning to business as usual by 7am and with only two flights affected.
"We are now a fully functioning airport," Ms Booker told reporters. "We believe in this instance our security worked just fine."
Melbourne Police Department, FBI agents and members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force all attended the scene.
Authorities searched the car with a robotic arm before towing it away around 7.30am.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments