Friday, June 19, 2009

Stowaway enters Britain on army coach

An illegal immigrant from Afghanistan infiltrated the army's officer training academy by hiding in a stairwell next to a coach toilet.

The man slipped on to the coach as it travelled from a German army base to Britain and was not discovered until the vehicle was inside the gates of Sandhurst in Camberley, Surrey, the Ministry of Defence said.

The bus, hired from a civilian contractor, was carrying officers and non-commissioned officers from 28 Engineer Regiment's barracks in Hamlyn, who failed to notice the stowaway until they arrived at their destination.

The man, who claimed to be a minor but is believed to be older, was arrested by Thames Valley police and handed over to the UK Border Agency.

An MoD spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that an individual was discovered onboard a coach within the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst having stowed onboard during the coach's transit from Germany. The coach was provided and driven by a civilian contractor who has responsibility for the security of their vehicle. Security officers in all army establishments have been informed and reminded of security procedures to reduce the risk of a further incident of this nature."

A UK Border Agency spokesman said: "As soon as this individual was discovered he was taken into custody, detained and finger-printed so he could be checked against a range of criminal and immigration watch-lists. People with no right to be in the UK will be removed at the earliest opportunity."

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