WASHINGTON (Reuters Life!) – A man charged with stowing away on a flight from New York to Los Angeles last Friday cleared airport security screening, the Transportation Security Administration confirmed yesterday.
“Every passenger that passes through security checkpoints is subject to many layers of security including thorough physical screening at the checkpoint,” said TSA spokesperson Greg Soule in a statement.
“TSA’s review of this matter indicates that the passenger went through screening.”
Olajide Olewaseun Noibi was taken into custody in Los Angeles after trying to board another flight with an illegitimate boarding pass on Wednesday, authorities said.
An FBI spokeswoman in Los Angeles confirmed Noibi is a dual citizen of the United States and Nigeria and that he was born in the United States.
On Friday he had stowed away on a Virgin America flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Los Angeles, according to an FBI affidavit.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer and an FBI agent were present at Los Angeles International Airport when Noibi attempted to board a Delta Airlines Flight to Atlanta on Wednesday morning.
A Delta agent refused Noibi’s boarding pass multiple times, saying the ticket was from the day prior, according to the FBI.
