The passenger who turned from an elderly white man into a young Asian man mid-flight is causing panicked authorities to scramble to update security procedures. Hong Kong authorities believe the man—who was wearing a mask sold online under the name "Jerry Attrick" and mimicked the movement of an elderly person—boarded the flight to Vancouver after arriving as a transit passenger from a city in southern China, the New York Times reports.
The case raises troubling questions about airport security, says Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano. "I understand that it’s under investigation right now, as it ought to be,” she told reporters after a security conference in Canada. “I think a lot of us have questions about how this happened and how he was able to get on the plane." The disguised passenger is seeking refugee status in Canada, and officials believe there is no terrorist connection to the case.
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