(NEW YORK) — When Svetlana Dali snuck onto a Delta flight from New York to Paris in November it was not the first time she had successfully evaded airport security measures, federal prosecutors said Wednesday in a new court filing.
Two days before Dali, 57, went through security at JFK Airport and walked onto the Delta plane without a boarding pass she accessed a secure area of the departures terminal at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut, prosecutors said.
“The investigation uncovered that, just like at JFK, the defendant similarly tried twice to enter TSA security checkpoints at BDL without a boarding pass—the first time unsuccessfully, and the second time successfully—wearing what appeared to be the same boots and backpack that she was wearing at JFK,” prosecutors said.
There is no evidence Dali boarded a flight from Bradley but the filing said she “bypassed BDL security checkpoints in a manner that is strikingly similar to her conduct at JFK” where she was able to sneak past identification checks by comingling with other passengers.
Earlier in 2024, customs agents found Dali hiding in a bathroom in a secure area of the Miami International Airport, prosecutors said.
In that instance, Dali claimed she had just arrived on an Air France flight and was waiting for her husband in the secure international arrivals zone. Prosecutors said there was no record of Dali on an Air France flight that day and no record she had left the United States in the prior five years. Ultimately, she was escorted from the airport.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn are seeking to introduce evidence of each episode when Dali stands trial later this month on stowaway charges from the incident on Nov. 26.
Once aboard Delta flight 264 to Paris, the filing said Dali hid in one of the plane’s lavatories for several hours.
“When a flight attendant noticed her lengthy bathroom visit, the defendant manipulated her into believing she was sick by pretending she was vomiting to excuse her prolonged time in the bathroom,” the filing said.
“Shortly before landing, the captain announced that the plane’s descent would be turbulent and instructed everyone to take their seats, including the crew,” the filing said. “As the flight crew rushed to secure the plane, the same flight attendant realized the defendant was still in the bathroom and instructed her to take her seat. The defendant continued to pretend to vomit, but the flight attendant insisted she sit down.”
Dali allegedly could not find a seat and the flight attendant asked for her name, identification and boarding pass. The defendant gave her two fake names and failed to produce any boarding pass or ID, prosecutors said.
“Alarmed, the flight attendant realized the defendant was not authorized to be on board and instructed the defendant to sit in a seat reserved for flight crew,” the filing states. “Scared that the defendant might be dangerous, the flight attendant positioned herself between the defendant and other passengers for their safety. The flight crew notified French law enforcement, who arrested the defendant on the plane as soon as it landed in Paris.”
Officials attempted to send Dali back to the United States on another flight shortly after, ABC News previously reported, but Dali was removed from the plane after insisting against her return.
She was eventually brought back to New York to face charges. After being released, Dali allegedly cut off her ankle monitor and traveled to Buffalo, where she planned to cross over the Peace Bridge into Canada but was apprehended.
Dali has pleaded not guilty to a federal stowaway charge.
(NEW YORK) — Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who the Trump administration has targeted for deportation after he helped organize pro-Palestinian protests as a student at Columbia University, is set to appear in immigration court in Louisiana Thursday.
Khalil, a green card holder who is married to an American citizen, has been held in a Louisiana detention facility since ICE agents arrested him in the lobby of his apartment building in New York City in March.
Khalil’s attorneys are prepared to argue on a number of issues before the court, including his pending request for asylum, their motion to dismiss the case because they allege he was illegally detained without a warrant, their motion for continuance, and the second set of charges that the Department of Homeland Security claims makes him deportable, which center around their accusation that he lied on his green card application.
But ultimately the decision of what to discuss at the hearing will be up to Immigration Judge Jamee Comans, who last month ruled Khalil deportable based on Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s assertion that his continued presence and actions in the country poses “adverse foreign policy consequence.”
She did not ask to review any evidence backing those claims.
Comans has not yet ruled on the second set of allegations regarding his green card application, which Khalil’s lawyers say are largely based on conservative tabloids. They recently submitted several documents and declarations from his previous employers that they say prove he did not misrepresent his employment history.
Khalil himself may also testify about why he believes his life could be at risk if he is denied asylum or if he is deported to Algeria or Syria as the government says it wants to do.
Ahead of the hearing, Khalil’s attorney submitted over 600 pages of documents, declarations, and expert analyses supporting their claim that he is not antisemitic and that he could face torture and death if he were to be deported.
Khalil’s wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, who recently gave birth to the couple’s son, was expected to attend the hearing. It would be the first time Khalil will see his son in person after he was born on April 21.
On Wednesday, Khalil’s lawyers asked a federal judge to intervene and allow Khalil, his wife, and newborn son to meet without plexiglass separating them. The judge ordered the facility to allow Khalil, his wife, and counsel to meet together to discuss his habeas petition.
(ESPARTO, Calif) — Human remains have been found at the warehouse filled with fireworks that exploded in Northern California this week, officials said.
The number of fatalities was not released and no positive identifications have been made, Yolo County officials said. Seven people were considered missing on Wednesday.
“Recovery efforts are expected to continue throughout the weekend as investigators, coroner personnel, and fire crews work carefully and respectfully through the process,” county officials said on Friday. “The Coroner’s Office has been in contact with the families of those previously reported missing and will continue to provide them with timely updates as information becomes available.”
The blast occurred Tuesday night at a pyrotechnics facility in Esparto, about 40 miles from Sacramento, triggering a series of massive explosions, according to fire authorities.
Cal Fire and the Esparto Fire Protection District said crews were working to find the missing.
“We obviously do our best to train for every type of incident, but an incident like this is like a once-in-a-career type of incident,” Esparto Fire Chief Curtis Lawrence said at a news conference Wednesday.
The new conference was interrupted by an angry family member who said her boyfriend and brother-in-law were in the building.
“We’re all sick to our stomach, and we’re all waiting on the information [officials say] we should receive until Saturday, when I want to know today,” she said.
The origin and cause of the blast remains under investigation, county officials said Friday.
Cal Fire’s Office of the State Fire Marshal said it believes the facility belongs to a licensed pyrotechnics operator. Investigators are working to determine if the operation complied with California’s strict pyrotechnics regulations and federal explosive storage requirements.
“This type of incident is very rare,” Cal Fire officials said, noting that such facilities must follow stringent safety protocols.
“Our hearts and thoughts are with those we lost, their families, and everyone impacted in our community,” the management for Devastating Pyrotechnics, the company that owns the pyrotechnics business, said in a statement. “We are grateful for the swift response of law enforcement and emergency personnel. Our focus will remain on those directly impacted by this tragedy, and we will cooperate fully with the proper authorities in their investigation.”
The explosion led to the cancelation of multiple Fourth of July celebrations. The Cloverdale Lions Club announced Thursday that they were canceling their annual aerial fireworks display, as the Esparto facility was their designated supplier.
