Feds apprehend stowaway on flight from Guatemala to Miami

Man, 26, stowed away in landing gear compartment, authorities say

FILE - In this Monday, July 27, 2020, file photo, An American Airlines Boeing 737-823 lands at Miami International Airport in Miami. American Airlines is telling some flight attendants to cut short their leaves of absence and come back to work. The airline said Thursday, July 15, 2021 that it is canceling extended leaves for about 3,300 flight attendants, and it wants them flying by November or December. Plus, the airline expects to hire 800 new flight attendants by next March. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File) (Wilfredo Lee, Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

MIAMI – Federal authorities have taken into custody a 26-year-old man who apparently stowed away in the landing gear compartment of an American Airlines fight that arrived at Miami International Airport from Guatemala on Saturday morning.

The man was in the wheel well area when the flight arrived from Guatemala City, Guatemala, at 10:06 a.m., officials said.

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News outlets reported that Flight 1182 was met by law enforcement due to a security issue.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers took the man into custody, the agency said in a news release. Medics took the man to a hospital for a medical assessment.

“Persons are taking extreme risks when they try to conceal themselves in confined spaces such as an aircraft," the agency said.

The news release didn’t say whether the man will face any charges, or what will happen to him when he’s released from the hospital.


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