Pilot impersonator arrested
Pilot impersonator arrested
From correspondents in Paris
August 04, 2005
From: Agence France-Presse
A MAN who tried to impersonate an Air France pilot was arrested at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport, but police said the case probably had more to do with "megalomania" than terrorism or crime.
The man was arrested yesterday along with an alleged accomplice after raising suspicions by going to an Air France counter and asking about departing flights and how many passengers they were carrying. He also tried unsuccessfully to procure a free ticket for travel.
Police arrested him and his accomplice, a former Air France ground employee who allegedly provided him with a security access pass, as they left the airport.
In his briefcase, police found a "poorly faked" employment contract and a pilot's flight record book.
The two were being held by anti-terrorist officers on fraud charges. The bogus pilot was to be subjected to a psychological examination.
"Apparently, he's more megalomaniac than anything else. It's likely he passed himself off as a pilot even among his friends," one officer said.