An Atlanta man was arrested after police said they found him sitting in the cockpit of a cargo plane at Pensacola (Fla.) International Airport.
Mahiri Hanif, 20, faces charges connected with climbing a security fence to access the plane, according to a news release Wednesday from Pensacola police.
The incident was part of a longer episode that began Tuesday around 1:30 p.m. inside the airport, according to the release. Police said Hanif attempted to access the concourse without going through the screening area. He was seen trying to enter the restricted area by walking through the lane provided for those exiting the concourse, and an officer told Hanif he had to go through the TSA checkpoint, authorities said.
A short time later, Hanif allegedly was seen climbing a barbed-wire-topped fence outside the airport and running toward the cargo plane.
According to police, Hanif opened the door to the unoccupied aircraft and walked onto the plane.
When police arrived on the scene, Hanif was sitting in the pilot’s seat, they said. According to the release, Hanif told police, “he wanted to fly to Atlanta to see his mother and that he didn’t have any money.”
Hanif was arrested on charges of burglary/unoccupied conveyance unarmed, police said.
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