Iraqi Boy, 10, Eludes Security To Board Plane Bound for Iran – Without a Ticket

A 10-year-old Iraqi boy successfully avoided airport security and boarded a plane bound for Iran without a ticket. The boy passed through seven security checks at Al Najaf International Airport, 90 miles south of Baghdad, in order to board an Iran Air chartered aircraft earlier this week, the French news agency AFP reported late Wednesday. Following an investigation into the incident, “Anyone who failed in their duties will be sanctioned, fired or transferred,” airport manager Hikmat Ahmed told AFP. The boy had been at the airport for about five hours and had blended in with the crush of travelers at the airport before the crew of the chartered plane noticed him and contacted airport officials, according to the report. The airport receives hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims a year for the Arba’een Pilgrimage to Karbala. A private company is currently in charge of security at the airport.