Ex-pilot called himself messiah on climate-change mission, day before alleged hijack
A 39-year-old man with the same name has now been charged with hijacking, constituting terrorism, over the incident on Tuesday that saw Norad scramble F-15 fighter jets before the light plane safely landed.
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CTV News
26 minutes ago
- CTV News
B.C. court records show second charge against alleged hijacker Shaheer Cassim
RCMP officers inspect a Cessna 172 at Vancouver International Airport on July 17, 2025, after the pilot was arrested. The man accused of hijacking a plane and triggering a security scare at Vancouver International Airport last week faces a second charge related to the rogue flight. B.C. online court records say a charge of damaging or interfering with a navigation system was sworn Friday against Shaheer Cassim. Cassim was arrested July 15 after allegedly threatening a flight instructor at Victoria International Airport, seizing control of a Cessna, then circling the plane over Vancouver's airport before landing and being arrested by police. Police say the 39-year-old had an 'ideological motive to disrupt airspace' and announced a charge of hijacking the day after the flight. Both charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. Cassim is a former commercial airline pilot who posted on social media the day before the airport security scare that he was a 'messenger of Allah' sent to save humanity from catastrophic climate change. Cassim is expected to appear in Provincial Court in Richmond, B.C., on Tuesday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
B.C. court records show second charge against alleged hijacker Shaheer Cassim
RICHMOND – The man accused of hijacking a plane and triggering a security scare at Vancouver International Airport last week faces a second charge related to the rogue flight. B.C. online court records say a charge of damaging or interfering with a navigation system was sworn Friday against Shaheer Cassim. Cassim was arrested July 15 after allegedly threatening a flight instructor at Victoria International Airport, seizing control of a Cessna, then circling the plane over Vancouver's airport before landing and being arrested by police. Police say the 39-year-old had an 'ideological motive to disrupt airspace' and announced a charge of hijacking the day after the flight. Both charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. Cassim is a former commercial airline pilot who posted on social media the day before the airport security scare that he was a 'messenger of Allah' sent to save humanity from catastrophic climate change. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Cassim is expected to appear in Provincial Court in Richmond, B.C., on Tuesday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2025.
Toronto Star
11 hours ago
- Toronto Star
A Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashes into a Dhaka school, killing at least 19
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