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Stuck in airport limbo - 21st December 2022
Mehran Karimi Nasseri, inspiration for the 2004 Hollywood film 'The Terminal', has passed away. The Iranian national got stuck in Charles de Gaulle airport for 18 years, having been caught in an immigration trap, unable to enter France, but with nowhere to go.
Nasseri took up residence in the airport in 1988, having arrived without a passport and having been sent back by British immigration authorities. Unable to produce the correct paperwork, he became stuck in a legal limbo.
A support network grew up around him providing him with food, medical supplies, books and a radio. He became dependent on the airport, taking up residence in a small section of Terminal 2F on a plastic bench. He took to calling himself 'King Alfred' and became an international talking point.
His story attracted the attention of authors and filmmakers, the most famous of whom was Steven Spielberg who produced and directed the 2004 film 'The Terminal' starring Tom Hanks. Nasseri reportedly received $275,000 for his story, although ultimately it wasn’t used in the film.
In 1999, Nasseri was finally granted refugee status and granted the right to enter France. However, as his lawyer reported at the time - he was too scared of going.
It was only in 2006 when he was hospitalised that he finally left the airport, and the small kingdom of King Alfred was dismantled. Shortly before his death from a heart attack in November 2022, he returned to live in the airport once more. Although he had reportedly spent all the money he had received from Spielberg’s company, several thousand euros were revealed to be in his possession at the time of his death.
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