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Orlando Airport in Melbourne was blocked after the authorities reported that a student pilot violated security by boarding a passenger airliner in a maintenance area.
USA TODAY & # 39; HUI
Orlando Melbourne International Airport in Melbourne, Florida, was blocked on Thursday, September 20, 2018, after a security breach. One can see the Melbourne Police Service crime scene van and the car of a suspect.(Photo: MALCOLM DENEMARK / FLORIDA TODAY & # 39; HUI)
MELBOURNE, Florida – The 22-year-old Florida Institute of Technology student pilot suspected of Jumping a fence at the Orlando International Airport Melbourne and boarding a vacant American Airlines plane has been accused of a criminal attempt to steal an airplane.
The authorities also reserved the anonymous man for visa violation and criminal trespass.
The Joint Terrorism Task Force continues to investigate the Thursday morning incident, which occurred near a hangar.
The man – who left his car in front of the passenger terminal – entered the plane around 2 am, according to authorities.
"Our employee was on the plane and immediately interrogated him, immediately escorted him out of the plane and took him to our main hangar to call the police and get them there. face. And the individual has taken off, "said STS Aviation Group President Mark Smith.
"The original employee and our team leader jumped into one of our golf carts and prevented his process from getting back in the plane – he was returning to the airport. Plane, "Smith said.
Lori Booker, spokesman for the airport, said the Melbourne Airport Police Service had responded within two minutes.
The suspect is a Florida Tech part-time student from Trinidad and Tobago who is studying aviation management and has completed flight training, said Adam Lowenstein, spokesperson for the university.
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"It would be inappropriate for the university to publish the name of the suspect, and law enforcement officials will continue their investigation, and the university officials will work with the authorities to address this issue." No additional information is available at this time ", writes Lowenstein.
The authorities are now trying to determine a motive and whether it is an isolated incident, said Booker. An affidavit of arrest has not yet been made public.
"The FBI is working with our state force and local force members in the ongoing investigation," said Andrea Aprea, FBI spokesperson in Tampa.
Technician "saw a shadow"
President Donald Trump organized rallies inside the hangar of aircraft in September 2016 and February 2017. The STS Aviation group purchased the facility in June 2017 and then opened in June. last October, said Smith.
The Airbus – large enough to accommodate up to 200 passengers – was out of service and blocked by aircraft holds to prevent movement, airport officials said.
Authorities said the avionics technician working in the kitchen of the plane had seen a shadow.
"He went back and said," Who are you? Show me your badge, "said Booker.
The anonymous technician, one of four qualified heroes, grabbed the man and, with the help of another technician, led the man from the plane.
Booker said that one of the men held the student down while the other called the Melbourne Airport Police. The student pilot was then released and ran along the aerodrome before he was stopped by two policemen.
The spokeswoman for Orlando International Airport Melbourne, Lori Booker, said that a technician and a shift manager attacked an intruder when he illegally boarded an airplane.
Malcolm Denemark, FLORIDA TODAY & # 39; HUI
The student pilot has links with Canada. He also has a driver's license in Florida, reports Booker. We did not know immediately how long he had been in the United States.
The airport was stopped until 7am. All flights at the airport, which handle about 500,000 passengers a year, were suspended for about five hours. Two flights from the airport have been delayed.
A car was towed by Lee's Towing with Melbourne CSI pickup trucks in front and behind at around 7:15 ET. A robot used by the police searched the vehicle before it was removed from the airport.
How it all began
The incident took place with Melbourne Police Tweeting early Thursday that the Orlando International Airport Melbourne was temporarily closed due to "police activity".
Manan Karia, a resident of Melbourne, approached the airport around 5 am on NASA Boulevard to attempt a six-hour flight to Delta bound for Atlanta, heading for Austin, USA. Texas.
"I drove by Keizer (University) and Sears and I saw a bunch of cars in both car parks, which even seemed strange to me," she said. "I go to the airport and there is a line of about five cars, and a police officer blocked the entrance with his car and the lights are flashing.We could see more police cars with flashing lights around of the airport."
"I finally get up to the officer – and he tells me that the airport is closed and asks if I am an employee or a passenger.I let him know that I am a passenger, and he tells me to Park at the Keizer car park: that's all they've provided, "said Karia.
"I was just looking for Twitter and the Internet to try to get more after that."
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Karia and a group of passengers left the Keizer University car park shortly after 7 am and then entered the airport.
"It was the longest safe line I can remember in Melbourne," said Karia.
In the honor
Thursday's security breach was quickly thwarted, unlike some recent incidents that have garnered national attention.
Last month, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, a seemingly suicidal Air Horizon handler entered the cockpit of an unmanned Bombardier Q400 turboprop, took off and flew for one hour before crush on Ketron Island.
Booker said that security training helped prepare agents and staff to respond to the violation.
Greg Donovan, the executive director of the airport, spoke to the attendants who confronted the man.
"I want you to know how grateful we are for your heroic actions and your quick thinking," Donovan told the men, according to Booker.
Contributors: Jennifer Sangalang and Tyler Vazquez, Florida Today. Follow J.D. Gallop, Malcolm Denemark and Rick Neale on Twitter:@JDGallop, @malcolmdenemark and @ RickNeale1
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