There was a major security breach at Ireland’s busiest airport earlier this week, resulting in a man being charged with trespassing after he "barged" his way past airline staff.
The man, named as 48-year-old Abdul Ahmead, was handed two sets of fines totalling €700 after he attempted to board an Aer Lingus flight headed to Birmingham without any passport.
He had reportedly managed to gain access to the area past security at Terminal 2, as well as past airline staff at the gate, to get onto the flight - despite not having shown a boarding pass at any point, according to a report by the Independent.
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However, airport police managed to catch Ahmead after he reportedly "barged" past Aer Lingus staff at the gate to take his seat and removed him prior to takeoff at 7:05pm.
Ahmead was then charged with both trespassing with intent to commit an offence as well as failure to produce a valid passport or similar document as a non-national. He was slapped with a separate €350 fine for each charge.
Gardaí confirmed the incident in a statement, with a Garda spokesperson telling The Irish Mirror: "Gardaí have arrested and charged a male in his 40s for trespassing offences at Dublin airport on Monday 27 March."
It was added that the man subsequently appeared before the Criminal Courts of Justice yesterday, Tuesday, March 28.
Speaking to The Irish Mirror, an Aer Lingus spokesperson said: "The individual in question barged past Aer Lingus boarding agents at the gate and crew at the door of the aircraft and took a seat on board.
"Airport Police were immediately alerted by Aer Lingus staff and the individual was promptly detained and removed from the aircraft."
The owner and operator of both Dublin Airport and Cork Airport, daa, added in a statement to The Irish Mirror: "We never comment on security matters for obvious reasons.
"We note the speedy apprehension of the individual in this case by Airport Police, who was caught trespassing without a boarding card after being security screened, and his subsequent arrest by An Garda Síochána and successful prosecution before the courts. As with any such incident, an internal review is underway."
The daa also stressed that inspections and testing of security controls at Irish airports are conducted at the national level by the Irish Aviation Authority in accordance with EU regulations.
Last Monday, March 20, reports emerged that Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan was warned of potential security threats at Ireland’s largest airport by a whistleblower at Dublin Airport.
The bombshell claim is reportedly now part of an investigation by the IAA, however, in a statement to the Irish Mirror at the time of the allegation, the daa explained that for "obvious reasons" it does not comment on security matters, adding that the authority fully engages with "stringent security requirements."
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