A 39-year-old man has been charged with hijacking after allegedly taking control of a small aircraft at Victoria International Airport in British Columbia, Canada, on Tuesday. Shaheer Cassim faces one count of hijacking, according to local police.
The incident involved a Cessna 172 aircraft operated by the Victoria Flying Club. Police say Cassim threatened a flight instructor and took control of the plane, flying it to Vancouver International Airport (YVR), where it circled before landing. The aircraft was surrounded by emergency response teams, and the lone occupant was taken into custody.
Richmond RCMP stated that the hijacking was carried out with an “ideological motive to disrupt airspace.” The security incident prompted a temporary ground stop for inbound arrivals at YVR, lasting 39 minutes, during which nine flights were diverted to other airports. Data from FlightAware shows that 143 arrivals were delayed, representing 25 per cent of the airport's daily total.
Vancouver airport confirmed that the aircraft landed safely and that operations have since returned to normal. Cassim has been remanded in custody until his next court appearance on 22 July.
