Chinese man arrested in US over breach of airport security
Source: Agencies |
January 10, 2010, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE Chinese man believed to have caused a security breach that resulted in major delays last weekend at Newark Liberty Airport when he took advantage of a guard's absence to sneak past a checkpoint and walk arm-in-arm with a woman has been arrested, authorities said.
Haisong Jiang, 28, of Piscataway was taken into custody on Friday night at his home, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said. He was questioned at the airport by Port Authority police, who arrested him, and was released shortly after midnight.
The Port Authority said in a statement that Jiang will be charged with defiant trespass, and that the charge was determined in coordination with the Essex County prosecutor and federal officials, though it's not a federal charge.
It was not clear whether Jiang has retained a lawyer.
Jiang is a doctoral student in a joint molecular biosciences program at Rutgers University, one of his roommates said. He said Jiang was born in Jiangxi Province, China, and has been in the US since 2004. He said early yesterday that Jiang wouldn't be returning to the house.
"He has found a place to find a rest," said the roommate, who would only identify himself as Hui.
He said Jiang, who lives in two-story home on a residential street, took his girlfriend to the airport last Sunday. He said she is a recent Rutgers graduate who lives in Los Angeles and was visiting for the holidays.
He said Jiang hadn't mentioned anything to his roommates about what happened at the airport and they were surprised when he was arrested. He said he felt Jiang didn't think what he had done was a serious matter.
Senator Frank Lautenberg, who was briefed on the arrest, expressed anger that Jiang faces a charge he described as a "slap on the wrist" and will only be given a fine of about US$500.
"This was a terrible deed in its outcome - it wasn't some prank that didn't do any harm - it did a lot of harm because it sent out an alert that people can get away with something like this," said Lautenberg.
Haisong Jiang, 28, of Piscataway was taken into custody on Friday night at his home, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said. He was questioned at the airport by Port Authority police, who arrested him, and was released shortly after midnight.
The Port Authority said in a statement that Jiang will be charged with defiant trespass, and that the charge was determined in coordination with the Essex County prosecutor and federal officials, though it's not a federal charge.
It was not clear whether Jiang has retained a lawyer.
Jiang is a doctoral student in a joint molecular biosciences program at Rutgers University, one of his roommates said. He said Jiang was born in Jiangxi Province, China, and has been in the US since 2004. He said early yesterday that Jiang wouldn't be returning to the house.
"He has found a place to find a rest," said the roommate, who would only identify himself as Hui.
He said Jiang, who lives in two-story home on a residential street, took his girlfriend to the airport last Sunday. He said she is a recent Rutgers graduate who lives in Los Angeles and was visiting for the holidays.
He said Jiang hadn't mentioned anything to his roommates about what happened at the airport and they were surprised when he was arrested. He said he felt Jiang didn't think what he had done was a serious matter.
Senator Frank Lautenberg, who was briefed on the arrest, expressed anger that Jiang faces a charge he described as a "slap on the wrist" and will only be given a fine of about US$500.
"This was a terrible deed in its outcome - it wasn't some prank that didn't do any harm - it did a lot of harm because it sent out an alert that people can get away with something like this," said Lautenberg.
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