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CNN
2 days ago
- CNN
Man charged with hijacking small plane shut down a large airport for ideological reasons, police say
A Canadian man has been charged with hijacking a small plane this week and flying it over one of the busiest airports in Canada, prompting fears he would crash into something and causing flights to be delayed or grounded. It began Tuesday at a flight school at Victoria International Airport, about 40 miles south of Vancouver, when 39-year-old Shaheer Cassim 'threatened a flight instructor' and took control of a Cessna 172 aircraft, according to a statement from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The plane belongs to the Victoria Flying Club, which operates about 12,000 flights a year, including sightseeing tours, charters and discovery flights. 'We've had people bang a wing tip into another plane, you know, fender benders … I mean, all of that stuff happens when you run a flight school because you are teaching people to fly,' club president Colin Williamson told CNN newsgathering partner CBC. 'But this? No, never. It's just completely out of the blue.' He said the hijacker showed up and said he wanted to be a passenger on a flight. After allegedly commandeering the small aircraft, Cassim took off by himself and flew north to Vancouver International Airport. He circled the runways, forcing nine other planes to divert and prompting controllers to warn aircraft to watch out for him. 'Encore 3584, the International's been shut down due to terrorist activity,' a controller told a WestJet regional pilot in audio from 'What is your alternate?' 'There is some type of protest going on above the airport with a Cessna,' another controller radioed multiple planes. 'In case anything starts heading towards you, you have the ability to move at your discretion.' Cassim acted with 'an ideological motive to disrupt airspace,' police spokesperson Sgt. Tammy Lobb said in a statement. Police did not say what he was protesting, however, CNN newsgathering partner, CTV, identified a social media account from a man with the same name who was a pilot in the area. 'I am a messenger of Allah. I am the messiah sent to save humanity from climate change and usher in an era of world peace,' the Facebook post said on Monday, the day before the hijacking. 'The Arctic sea ice is going to disappear within two years. When that happens, huge amounts of methane are going to erupt from the Arctic Ocean, triggering abrupt runaway global warming, turning Earth into Venus.' The North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled fighter jets, but the Cessna safely landed before they arrived and Cassim was arrested. Cassim appeared in court on Wednesday to face one count of hijacking. The judge ordered him to remain in jail until his next court appearance on July 22. The court currently does not have a lawyer listed for him. Under Canadian law, the crime of hijacking includes using force or threats of force to cause an aircraft to change from its flight plan. CNN's Paula Newton Contributed to this report.
CNN
2 days ago
- CNN
Man charged with hijacking small plane shut down a large airport for ideological reasons, police say
Aviation news Air travel safety Airplane crashesFacebookTweetLink Follow A Canadian man has been charged with hijacking a small plane this week and flying it over one of the busiest airports in Canada, prompting fears he would crash into something and causing flights to be delayed or grounded. It began Tuesday at a flight school at Victoria International Airport, about 40 miles south of Vancouver, when 39-year-old Shaheer Cassim 'threatened a flight instructor' and took control of a Cessna 172 aircraft, according to a statement from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The plane belongs to the Victoria Flying Club, which operates about 12,000 flights a year, including sightseeing tours, charters and discovery flights. 'We've had people bang a wing tip into another plane, you know, fender benders … I mean, all of that stuff happens when you run a flight school because you are teaching people to fly,' club president Colin Williamson told CNN newsgathering partner CBC. 'But this? No, never. It's just completely out of the blue.' He said the hijacker showed up and said he wanted to be a passenger on a flight. After allegedly commandeering the small aircraft, Cassim took off by himself and flew north to Vancouver International Airport. He circled the runways, forcing nine other planes to divert and prompting controllers to warn aircraft to watch out for him. 'Encore 3584, the International's been shut down due to terrorist activity,' a controller told a WestJet regional pilot in audio from 'What is your alternate?' 'There is some type of protest going on above the airport with a Cessna,' another controller radioed multiple planes. 'In case anything starts heading towards you, you have the ability to move at your discretion.' Cassim acted with 'an ideological motive to disrupt airspace,' police spokesperson Sgt. Tammy Lobb said in a statement. Police did not say what he was protesting, however, CNN newsgathering partner, CTV, identified a social media account from a man with the same name who was a pilot in the area. 'I am a messenger of Allah. I am the messiah sent to save humanity from climate change and usher in an era of world peace,' the Facebook post said on Monday, the day before the hijacking. 'The Arctic sea ice is going to disappear within two years. When that happens, huge amounts of methane are going to erupt from the Arctic Ocean, triggering abrupt runaway global warming, turning Earth into Venus.' The North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled fighter jets, but the Cessna safely landed before they arrived and Cassim was arrested. Cassim appeared in court on Wednesday to face one count of hijacking. The judge ordered him to remain in jail until his next court appearance on July 22. The court currently does not have a lawyer listed for him. Under Canadian law, the crime of hijacking includes using force or threats of force to cause an aircraft to change from its flight plan. CNN's Paula Newton Contributed to this report.
Global News
2 days ago
- Global News
Suspect charged with hijacking in YVR incident used to be a pilot
The suspect charged with hijacking in connection with an incident at Vancouver International Airport on Tuesday was a pilot more than a decade ago. Shaheer Cassim, 39, has been charged with hijacking after being accused of stealing a small plane from the Victoria Flying Club, flying it over the Salish Sea and eventually landing it at YVR. Cassim made a brief court appearance on Wednesday afternoon and remains in custody. A Facebook page of someone with the same name and image describes himself as a 'messenger of Allah.' 'I am the messiah sent to save humanity from climate change and usher in an era of world peace.' This person also writes about climate change, saying the sea ice is going to disappear within two years and humans will eventually go extinct. Story continues below advertisement The Facebook profile says he was employed from 2008 to 2010 by now-defunct KD Air, a small airline based on Vancouver Island. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The airline's former owners, Diana and Lars Banke, said in an interview that Cassim was one of the smartest and best pilots they ever worked with, calling him a fast learner who was highly intelligent. But Lars Banke said Cassim left the airline after getting 'bored' and then went to medical school. He also said Cassim believed the world was coming to an end. Cassim has been involved in climate activism in the past and in 2012 he held a news conference in Victoria at the start of a cross-country bicycle trek to raise awareness about global warming. Under the Criminal Code of Canada, a charge of hijacking could mean a sentence of life in prison. The Prosecution Service of Canada has also indicated this charge could come with terrorism implications. Story continues below advertisement An order has been made to determine if Cassim is fit to stand trial. — with files from The Canadian Press
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Man who hijacked plane charged after over 100 flights disrupted at Vancouver airport
A man has been charged following the alleged hijacking of a small plane in British Columbia, Canada, on Tuesday (15 July). Shaheer Cassim, 39, was charged with one count of hijacking on Wednesday after allegedly threatening a flight instructor to take control of an aircraft at Victoria International Airport. Local police service Richmond RCMP said Mr Cassim hijacked the Cessna 172 aircraft with the 'ideological motive to disrupt airspace'. The 'security incident' over Vancouver International Airport (YVR) prompted a temporary ground stop for inbound arrivals and knock-on delays for several flights out of the busy airport in Richmond. RCMP and the Lower Mainland Integrated Emergency Response Team surrounded the single-engine aircraft on landing at YVR, and the 'lone occupant' was taken into custody. Sgt. Tammy Lobb, media relations officer with Federal Policing Pacific Region, said: 'Investigators have determined the suspect acted with an ideological motive to disrupt airspace. 'Thankfully, no one was injured during this incident.' The plane, operated by the Victoria Flying Club, departed from Victoria airport before circling over YVR. Vancouver airport said in a statement on Tuesday: 'Shortly before 1:30 p.m. this afternoon, a security incident involving a small private aircraft in the airspace near YVR prompted a temporary ground stop for arriving aircraft. 'RCMP responded, the aircraft landed safely, and the lone occupant was taken into custody.' According to the aviation hub, during the 39-minute ground stop for arrivals, nine inbound aircraft were diverted to alternate airports. FlightAware data shows that 143 arrivals into Vancouver were delayed on Tuesday, 25 per cent of the airport's daily total. As of Thursday, flights appear to be operating as scheduled in and out of the Vancouver airport. Mr Cassim has been remanded until his next court appearance on 22 July.
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Hijacked plane allegedly stolen from Victoria Flying Club
Hijacked plane allegedly stolen from Victoria Flying Club We're learning more about what unfolded on Vancouver Island where a plane was allegedly highjacked before being flown to Vancouver.
