Man charged with hijacking, terrorism after hijacking small plane at Vancouver International Airport

 

 

A man has been charged with hijacking and terrorism after hijacking a small plane at Vancouver International Airport. The B.C. provincial court case involves Shaheer Kassim, a former commercial airline pilot based in Victoria. His actions posed a security threat.

The small Cessna took off from Victoria Airport just before 1 p.m. It flew straight to Vancouver Airport and circled for about 25 minutes. That's when the crash was confirmed. But police said it landed at YVR at 1:45 p.m. A video of the bearded pilot emerging from the plane is circulating on social media. F-15 fighter jets were scrambled as the Cessna circled over the airport. Additional F-18 fighter jets were also on standby to respond. The RCMP has not released details of the incident. However, it is believed that Shaheer Kassim hijacked the plane as a sign of protest against something.