Hijacker hired by British Airways as cleaner

In February 2000, a group hijacked a plane from an internal flight in Afghanistan and forced it to land in Stansted. Today, one of the members of the gang responsible for that event is working at Heathrow Airport.

Nazamuddin Mohammidy is a 34-year-old resident of Middlesex currently employed as a cleaning contractor at the British Airways office building just a mile from Heathrow Airport. While most Afghani cleaning crew pose no cause for concern, this particular man was involved in a hijacking.

Following the 2000 flight, the nine men responsible were given asylum in the UK.

Mohammidy was working at the BA office building and training centre, a fact confirmed by a spokesperson for the airline. The spokesperson said that Mohammidy had no access to the airport and did not work inside.

Mohammidy spent 30 months in jail for his role in the hijacking before the Court of Appeal overturned the ruling and decided that the men had acted out of fear while fleeing the Taliban. The High Court then prevented their deportation by the government and granted them asylum.

The men say they are allies of Britain against groups like the Taliban and were fleeing in part because of their role in organizing a secret school for girls in Afghanistan.

www.britishairways.com