Bogus Air France Captain Picked Up at Main Paris Airport

Aug. 3, 2005
The man wearing the uniform, as well as an access badge in the name of his companion, went to the Air France desk and asked about departing flights and passenger numbers.

ROISSY, France, Aug 2 (AFP) - Police at Charles de Gaulle airport at Roissy north of Paris said Tuesday they had detained a man wearing the uniform of an Air France captain and seeking information about flight departures.

He and another man were detained as they were driving away from the airport.

The man wearing the uniform, as well as an access badge in the name of his companion, went to the Air France desk and asked about departing flights and passenger numbers.

He also tried to get a ticket handed over.

The agent at the desk, surprised by the unusual behaviour, refused and the fake captain left in a car the number of whose plate was noted.

The car was stopped in the area surrounding the airport and a second man discovered and arrested.

"We could be dealing with a common or garden affair of fraud or with terrorism," said an airport source.

"No line of inquiry can be ruled out."

Police have identified the two men, aged between 35 and 40 and resident in the Paris region. Their home was due to be searched.