Passenger escorted onto plane by armed officers

[latesummerreminiscing]

I took a flight from Germany to the UK yesterday and noticed at the gate were two armed officers waiting with a paper document at the gate. Then, that particular passenger was escorted onto the plane before anyone else, by both officers, they filled out paperwork before the rest were allowed onto the flight. No police were not with him on the flight though. He was in the front seat and very calm during the flight. What on earth was this about?? Lots of people were really worried

If he travelled unaccompanied and wasn’t met at the other side it’s most likely he was returned due to UK due to immigration issues.

Doubtless a convicted terrorist. The paperwork will have been the usual 'I [insert name] promise I will not blow up the plane I am about to board' attestation that they get them to sign in lieu of a search. Nothing to worry about.

I sat next to a guy once on a flight from USA to UK who had been deported and put on the plane by armed officers of some description. We chatted. He had been in prison in the US (drugs) and was immediately deported on release. Had nothing on him, not even a passport, just some papers for the other end, and a small hold all with clothes. No phone. Next to no cash. No bank account or cards. Once we got to Heathrow I let him make some calls from my phone and helped him sort out train tickets up to Liverpool where a brother lived. He'd been in prison for years. It was all quite mad, he was totally lost and bewildered stood in Heathrow with just the clothes on his back.

Oh wow that's quite a story! Good of you to help him out.

FFS ! Do you think planes are chartered for deportees? If the passenger wasn’t being accompanied by police then he wasn’t deemed a threat. Sometimes the curtain twitching gene is stronger than common sense in some people.

Why? Police Officers in Europe tend to be armed.

My ex-SIL's boyfriend got sent back on the return flight when he tried to re-enter the UK after a holiday in Spain because his visa had expired.

Where does a ‘British paedo’ get deported to? 🙄

He was lovely. I hope he's doing OK.

Probably deported? as they didn’t have the right paperwork??

Right okay 😂no need to get so worked up about it

Sounds like he didn't have the correct visas etc and was sent back

Deported

Thank you all, got the answer now so all good!

Very strange

Presumably back to the UK from Germany.

That’s wild. Good of you to help him out, but absolutely mad of him to go to a foreign country and deal drugs/have such a large quantity of drugs that that + being a tourist landed him with trafficking charges. That’s the only way he’d be in prison that long. I hope he straightened up after losing years of his life for that.

My stepson once entered a country 3 days before his visa was valid. He'd done this before and expected to be able to change it on entry.

The country declined him entry and he had to leave immediately. He chose from the flights leaving that afternoon and went to another country that was less fussed about visas.

So, the country wanted him out but he was absolutely harmless and entered a country of his choice legally (so noone waiting).

German police carry a sidearm as standard.

In higher risk areas they may carry an SMG or rifle.

We're just not used to it in the UK, but pretty standard in a lot of places.

If he was a prisoner/criminal he would have been escorted. He would simply have been someone having been refused entry for a visa issue or similar and put on a return flight. No danger to anyone and I’m sure no one was eying him or scared during the flight. You sound very dramatic OP.

Odd assumption

He had been living in the USA (possibly illegally) prior to his prison sentence. So when he was stood in Heathrow with me, it was his first time on British soil in something like 20 years. It was definitely a very serious drugs charge.

My mind was blown that they'd release him effectively on the plane, kick him out with absolutely nothing and no safeguards in place at the other end.

I haven't thought about him for ages but this thread reminded me.

The UK, where that flight was going ?

This happens to UK prisoners as well. They’re turfed out with something like £85, possibly miles from home, and they have to figure it out.