Canadian man charged with hijacking plane, disrupting major airport operations

A 39-year-old Canadian man has been charged with hijacking a small plane that disrupted operations at one of Canada’s busiest airports, CNN reported, citing police and court records.

The suspect, Shaheer Cassim, allegedly commandeered a Cessna 172 aircraft from a flight school at Victoria International Airport on Tuesday by threatening an instructor, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Chaos in the skies: Flights diverted

Cassim flew the aircraft nearly 40 miles to Vancouver International Airport, where he circled runways, forcing nine incoming planes to divert and grounding all operations for nearly 40 minutes, officials said.

Audio from LiveATC.net, cited by the Vancouver Sun, captured controllers warning pilots: “The International’s been shut down due to terrorist activity.” “There is some type of protest going on above the airport with a Cessna.”

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) scrambled fighter jets, but the plane landed safely before they arrived.

Authorities say Cassim acted with “an ideological motive to disrupt airspace”, though they did not specify the cause.

Flight school stunned: ‘Out of the blue’

The Victoria Flying Club, which owns the plane, said Cassim showed up asking to be a passenger before allegedly hijacking the aircraft.

“We’ve had fender benders, but this? Never. It’s just completely out of the blue,” said club president Colin Williamson, speaking to CBC. 

Court appearance and past warnings

Cassim appeared in court Wednesday and was ordered to remain in custody until a hearing on 22 July. He faces a terrorism-related hijacking charge under Canadian law, which covers threats or force used to seize an aircraft.

Former employers told CBC they were shocked. “He was one of the smartest pilots we worked with,” said Lars Banke, adding Cassim later left aviation and pursued medical studies.
“I’m really surprised he would’ve done something like this,” added Diana Banke.

Cassim had previously staged a 2012 cycling tour across Canada to raise awareness about climate change.

 Airport hails quick response

British Columbia Premier David Eby called the incident a “bizarre moment,” praising emergency responders for defusing the threat without major harm.

Vancouver International Airport confirmed a 39-minute halt to operations.

“It could have lasted much longer,” said airport spokesperson Stephen Smart.