There was a major scare at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, after Abdulrahman Oriyomi allegedly manipulated security checks at the airport, especially in Terminal C, and boarded United Flight 469.
The security breach was not discovered until the plane heading to Los Angeles had already pushed back from the gate and begun taxiing for departure. This was when flight attendants realised an unauthorised passenger was on board.
They alerted the cockpit crew, prompting the aircraft to return to the gate immediately. The incident triggered a large-scale response involving airport police, the FBI, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), airline security officials and other law enforcement agencies.
Passengers were ordered off the aircraft while security teams searched the plane and conducted precautionary checks, including screening for possible explosives. No explosives or other threats were found.
According to investigators, Oriyomi passed through a TSA security checkpoint on May 18 before moving around different sections of the airport and attempting to access multiple departure gates.
Authorities said he unsuccessfully tried to scan a boarding pass at several gates and was involved in disagreements with airline staff before approaching a gate where United Flight 469 was preparing to depart for Los Angeles.
Investigators allege that while gate agents were attending to passengers, Oriyomi took advantage of the distraction and proceeded down the jet bridge onto the aircraft without authorisation.
From reviewed surveillance footage and the examining of the boarding document allegedly used by Oriyomi, the authorities found that the reservation linked to the document had not been paid for and lacked key boarding information, including the QR code required for scanning.
The disruption delayed the Los Angeles-bound flight for several hours and affected airport operations.
The 25-year-old Nigerian is now charged with interrupting the operation of a critical infrastructure facility in Houston, United States on Monday, May 18. If convicted, he could face significant penalties under Texas law.
