U.S. Security Chief Concerned About Chinese Man's Disguise on Flight
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia -- U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Saturday that the case of a young Chinese man who boarded a flight to Canada elaborately disguised as an elderly white male raises concerns about a security breach that terrorists might exploit...
The passenger was seen at the start of the flight as an "elderly Caucasian male who appeared to have young-looking hands," the Canadian Border Service bulletin said. Later in the flight, however, "the subject attended the washroom and emerged an Asian-looking male that appeared to be in his early 20s."
The document says the man had a bag that contained a "disguise kit which consisted of a silicone type head and neck mask of an elderly Caucasian male, a brown leather cap, glasses and a thin brown cardigan."
The imposter's makeover was much more elaborate than in previous cases, where suspects simply tried to match the hairdo, clothing and height of the passport holder they are trying to imitate, Hong Kong Undersecretary for Security T.K. Lai told reporters in Hong Kong on Saturday.
"This is a brand new method," Lai said. [Not really, Lai should red "Kim" or "The Four Feathers" to realize that this is one the oldest ways of getting past 'Official Security".]
The Canadian bulletin said the man later admitted to officials that he had boarded the flight with the mask on and had removed it several hours later. It says they believe the man and another man performed a boarding pass swap.
A Hong Kong official told the AP that the imposter is a mainland Chinese citizen who was transiting through Hong Kong. The official declined to be named because she is not authorized to release the information.
The official said the Chinese man likely escaped detection because he used his own travel documents and a genuine boarding pass when clearing immigration checkpoints in the southern Chinese city, then swapped travel papers with a collaborator in the transit lounge just before boarding the flight to Vancouver.
The man's case is being handled by Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board, but a spokesman for the agency declined comment.
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