Craig Sturt, a British man, has gone missing after he was charged with flying from London to New York without a ticket or passport.
Sturt was stopped by a gun-toting officer at Heathrow Airport in New York on Christmas Eve and was arrested upon landing on Christmas day. He was charged with offences under the Aviation Security Act.
Sturt allegedly slipped through security checks by walking closely behind other passengers or “tailgating” them. He was arrested upon landing and charged with fraud and Aviation Security Act offences.
The Metropolitan Police took Sturt for treatment at a hospital in Reading, from which he escaped. Home secretary James Cleverly has demanded information on how the incident happened.
The Metropolitan Police have taken over the investigation as of 31 January. Heathrow Airport said Sturt would have gone through security, but it remains unclear how he was able to avoid document checks before and after.
