Trespassing At Sky Harbor After Man Deploys Aircraft Escape Slide

PHOENIX, AZ — Zackaria Mohamud Mudasir, a 39-year-old male, was arrested Tuesday at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport after being caught entering a secure area of the airport’s Terminal 2. He had accessed the area from the Gate 3 airfield’s closed jetway.

Mudasir’s luck ran out, however, when a passenger spotted him in the secure area and notified a Phoenix police officer. The officer then contacted Mudasir, who gave the officer a false name and neglected to produce identification. The area Mudasir came from had “no trespassing” notices posted, and Mudasir offered several different versions of how he arrived in the secure area.

While police had Mudasir in custody, police then found out that a United Airlines aircraft had its emergency escape slide deployed before the incident. Mudasir confessed to having deployed the slide. Meanwhile, the TSA classifies Mudasir’s unauthorized entry into the secure area as “sensitive,” so no further details of his methodology will be given.

The Maricopa County Jail is Mudasir’s home for now. He’s being held on charges of Criminal Damage, Criminal Trespass and Failure to Provide a True and Lawful Name.