LOS ANGELES A Nigerian American accused of breaching three layers of airport security while getting on a cross-country flight with an expired boarding pass was ordered Friday to remain in federal custody as more questions arose about his intent.
“I’m just not sure what is going on,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Wilner said during a hearing for Olajide Oluwaseun Noibi, 24. “I have a real problem with candor here.”
Authorities said Noibi boarded a flight in New York on June 24 using an expired boarding pass with someone else’s name on it. The Virgin America crew didn’t realize until midflight that an extra passenger was onboard in a premium seat that was supposed to be empty.
After arriving at Los Angeles International Airport and spending several days in the city, Noibi was arrested after trying to board a Delta Air Lines flight with another expired pass. A search of his bag found about 15 expired boarding passes, none in his name, authorities said.
Noibi was charged with being a stowaway on an aircraft.
Noibi has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Nigeria. In court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Alon said Noibi had lived much of his life in Nigeria.
Investigators were looking into whether he had any terrorist links in that country.
Asked if terrorism charges would be filed, Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said, “We’ve made no allegations other than he was a stowaway.”
Prosecutors also noted Noibi had been arrested in 2008 for riding a train without paying for a ticket.
Noibi’s attorney, deputy federal public defender Carl Gunn, said his client was extremely embarrassed about the incident, and his family, which is spread out across the U.S., was a “little freaked out” by the attention the case has received.
Noibi told federal investigators he was able to go through security screening in Los Angeles by presenting a boarding pass, his student identification and a police report that said his U.S. passport had been stolen, according to court documents.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said passengers are required to show a federal or state-issued photo ID to go through the checkpoint. Passengers who forget or lose their identification are allowed to fly if they provide information about their identity that can be substantiated.
TSA spokesman Nico Melendez declined to comment on whether Noibi underwent additional screening at the Los Angeles airport, citing the FBI probe. The agency also won’t say what form of identification Noibi presented to pass security at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Prosecutors said Noibi was planning to return to Nigeria on July 7 and still has his passport from that country. If convicted, Noibi could face up to five years in prison.
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