Sergei Vladimirovich Ochigava, a dual Russian-Israeli citizen, told investigators he did not remember how he did it.
How was a man able to escape all security checks at European airports?
U.S. authorities are investigating after a Russian national allegedly slipped onto a plane and flew from Denmark to Los Angeles in November without a passport or ticket.
Itold investigators he did not remember how he got through security checks in Europeaccording to a federal complaint filed by the FBI.
Sergei Vladimirovich Ochigava arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on November 4 on Scandinavian Airlines Flight 931 from Copenhagen.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer did not find Sergei Vladimirovich Ochigava on the flight log or on any other incoming international flight.
The man, described in court documents as having dual Russian and Israeli nationality and aged around forty, did not go unnoticed during the flight, during which he tried to speak to several passengers.
The crew told investigators that Sergei Vladimirovich Ochigava was sitting in a seat that was supposed to be empty, when the flight took off. After takeoff, he continued to wander around the plane, changing seats and trying to talk to other passengers, who ignored him, according to the FBI complaint.
It also “ate two meals during each shift and, at one point, attempted to eat the chocolate that belonged to cabin crew members”according to the complaint.
A mysterious stowaway
Sergei Vladimirovich Ochigava was accused of being a stowaway on board a plane and pleaded not guilty during his appearance on December 5. His trial is scheduled for December 26.
He did not have a passport or visa to enter the United States, authorities said. The man explained in English that he had left his passport on the plane.
CBP officers searched his bag and found “what appeared to be a Russian ID and an Israeli ID”federal authorities said in court documents.
They also found a photo on his phone that partially showed a passport with his name, date of birth and passport number, but no photo, they said.
Sergei Vladimirovich Ochigava “provided false and misleading information about his travel to the United States, including initially telling CBP that he had left his U.S. passport on the plane”the complaint states.
The man told FBI agents that he had a doctorate in economics and marketing and that his last job was as an economist in Russia.
“Sergei Vladimirovich Ochigava claimed that he had not slept for three days and did not understand what was happening”.
He told officers he might have a plane ticket to the United States, but he wasn’t sure.
He also said he didn’t remember how he got through security in Copenhagen and wouldn’t explain what he was doing in the Scandinavian city, according to the complaint.