Man used fake boarding pass to board United Airlines flight in Houston

A 25-year-old man has been charged with a felony offence after he allegedly slipped through TSA security and past United Airlines gate agents at a Houston airport using what authorities believe was a counterfeit boarding pass — and was later discovered hiding in a plane toilet.

Abdulrahman Oriyomi faces a charge of impairing or interrupting the operation of a critical infrastructure facility. He was booked into Harris County jail in Texas, and court records confirm he is being held on a £15,000 bond, with a court appearance scheduled for Monday. CNN has reached out to Oriyomi's attorney.

How Oriyomi boarded the plane

After successfully boarding a United Airlines aircraft at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Oriyomi attempted to occupy an empty aisle seat, according to a criminal complaint. A fellow passenger told investigators that he appeared uncertain about whether the seat was his, stood up, and made his way to one of the aircraft's toilets.

When he returned approximately 15 minutes later, other passengers had taken those seats, according to what the passenger relayed to police. Oriyomi then moved to a second toilet on the aircraft, the complaint alleges.

As the plane began to pull away from the gate, the same passenger alerted flight attendants that someone remained inside a toilet cubicle. A flight attendant knocked on the door, found Oriyomi inside, and instructed him to return to his seat.

Several minutes later, the same attendant discovered Oriyomi in yet another toilet. At that point, she asked for his name, to which he replied that he was Mr Lopez, the complaint states.

Oriyomi subsequently attempted to locate a free seat, but the flight was fully booked. Unable to find one, he asked cabin crew whether he could occupy the aircraft's "jump seat," the complaint noted.

Flight attendants cross-referenced the passenger manifest, found no listing for a Mr Lopez, and concluded that Oriyomi was an unauthorised passenger. The flight crew and captain were notified, and the aircraft returned to the gate.

Houston Airports directed CNN to the TSA for information on security screening, adding that "all security screening measures are implemented by federal and local authorities."

The TSA stated to CNN, confirming that "the individual in question presented a valid boarding pass at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The individual did go through standard screening and did not possess any prohibited items."

How authorities say he slipped through security

Prior to boarding, authorities allege Oriyomi navigated TSA security checkpoints and United gate agents without proper authorisation.

Surveillance footage shows Oriyomi first approached a checkpoint booth at Bush Airport at around 5:45am on 18 May, court documents state. He was recorded "staring at his phone and delaying speaking to a TSA agent."

After what the complaint describes as "several moments and possible difficulty with his boarding pass" at one booth, he was directed to a second. There, his photograph was taken and he was permitted to proceed into the terminal.

Roughly an hour later, Oriyomi joined the queue at gate E16 for a Houston-to-Los Angeles service. He was turned away after his boarding pass failed to scan on multiple attempts and he was observed "appearing to have a disagreement with United staff for several minutes," according to the complaint.

Less than two hours after that initial rejection, Oriyomi appeared at gate D4, where court documents say he "awkwardly paces and stands in the area." At 9:08am, he joined the boarding queue for flight number 469, scheduled to depart Houston at 9:45am and arrive in Los Angeles at 11:28am.

He then approached the United desk and, the complaint alleges, deliberately waited until staff were occupied with other passengers.

"(Oriyomi) pretends he is going to show his boarding pass, walks past the United employees, then proceeds down the jetway while the two other United employees are still distracted," the complaint says.

Airport response and aftermath

After Oriyomi was located on board and the aircraft returned to the gate, Houston Police, the Houston Police Explosive Detection K-9 Unit, the FBI, city airport services, and TSA were all dispatched to the scene. Once passengers had deboarded, the K-9 unit swept the aircraft for explosives, the complaint states.

Investigators liaised with United's customer service team, which retrieved a reservation associated with Oriyomi. He had attempted to purchase a ticket for the Houston-to-Los Angeles route, but United had cancelled the booking due to non-payment, authorities said.

Oriyomi was subsequently issued a trespass warning at the airport. Upon realising he would not be arrested, he began filming law enforcement officers and "causing a scene," according to court records. He only departed the airport after being warned that continued behaviour would result in his arrest.

Houston Police, the FBI, and airport services were, the complaint alleged, "tied up on this significant event for over an hour and a half." The United flight suffered a delay of approximately three hours.

Investigators later examined an image of the boarding pass Oriyomi had reportedly presented to airport staff. On that basis, they concluded it was fraudulent, as it was "missing key information and the QR code appeared to be forged," the complaint states.

Wider security concerns

Incidents of this nature, while rare, continue to raise serious questions about vulnerabilities within aviation security, according to experts. The Federal Aviation Administration does not maintain precise records of how frequently stowaway situations occur. Oriyomi's case is not the first such incident recorded in the United States this year, authorities have noted.