Man accused of ducking past TSA at Portland International Airport
Portland OR Sept 10 2018 A man landed in federal court Friday, accused of ducking under security cordons at Portland International Airport and getting past Transportation Security Administration officers who routinely inspect travelers’ identification and boarding passes.
Badr Ziti, 29, entered a not guilty plea to an allegation that he entered an airport area in violation of security requirements.
Federal officials say Ziti had no documentation for any flight scheduled when he was arrested Tuesday and no checked or carry-on bags.
Robert Hamilton, assistant federal public defender, argued that the government lacked probable cause to hold Ziti because it has no evidence that Ziti actually entered any airport area that serves airline carriers before he was stopped and detained.
“He had not crossed into the secure area of the airport yet,” Hamilton said. Ziti went under some ropes and got in line to pass through the metal detector, his lawyer noted.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Maloney countered that Ziti bypassed the airport security officials without showing an ID or boarding pass.
Once Ziti was stopped and pulled aside, he initially said he was going to New York and then Argentina to see family and friends and later said he was planning to travel to Morocco to see family but he had no documentation for any flight scheduled, FBI Agent Kevin J. Strauss wrote in a federal complaint.
Asked for his identification, he had a Moroccan passport, a resident green card and a Washington driver’s license, the complaint said.
Hamilton requested that Ziti be released on his own recognizance, arguing the government didn’t provide evidence that Ziti was a risk to flee.
Maloney asked that a pretrial officer have more time to determine where Ziti will live while he’s out of custody.
“We just don’t have enough information about where he’s going to live, work or how he’s going to support himself,” the prosecutor said.
Hamilton said he was concerned that federal officials would contact Ziti’s Muslim friends and “scare everybody away” from allowing him to stay at their apartment.
He asked to get Ziti’s cellphone back, so Ziti could reach out to friends to find a place to stay while waiting for trial. Authorities took the phone from Ziti at jail.
“I’m fearful he’ll get stuck in custody while trying to resolve this misdemeanor,” Hamilton said.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman continued the hearing until Tuesday, seeking more information.
