The Terminal: Man Who Inspired Tom Hanks' Character Dies In Airport

PARIS: The majority of us can only stay in a crowded airport for a few hours but the story of the Iranian man who spent 18 years in the Paris airport will inspire many writers to write stories and make films on it. Mehran Karimi Nasseri, whose 18-year residence at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris served as his home and whose life was partially the basis for the Steven Spielberg movie "The Terminal," passed away on Saturday, according to authorities. Around noon, a Paris airport authority representative stated that Nasseri passed away from a heart attack in Terminal 2F of the airport.

After the UK denied him political asylum and sent him to Paris, Nasseri began to reside at the airport. The man subsequently declared himself stateless and kept his belongings close to him, according to a Variety article.

From 1988 until 2006, Nasseri spent 18 years residing in Terminal 1 of the airport; initially due to legal difficulties, and subsequently by apparent choice. At the airport, he built a modest house, or as others may say, he made it his home. According to AP, Nasseri slept on a red plastic bench while interacting with airport officials, taking showers in staff restrooms, keeping a journal, reading magazines, and scanning onlookers. He even earned the moniker Lord Alfred from the airport employees, and he started to gain notoriety among travelers.

Nasseri, who was born in 1945 to a British mother and an Iranian father, reportedly spent his formative years in Soleiman. In 1974, he departed for studies in England. He was deported without a passport after being imprisoned for participating in student protests upon his return to Iran, according to sources. Several European nations turned down Nasseri's request for political asylum. The UNHCR in Belgium granted him refugee credentials, according to an AP article, but he said his briefcase holding the certificate was stolen. The lack of official documentation prevented French authorities from deporting him anywhere despite their arresting him. In August 1988, he finally arrived at Charles de Gaulle, where he remained for the remainder of his life.

Even after his refugee papers were prepared years later, Nasseri reportedly hesitated to leave the airport. He eventually had to leave the airport in 2006 due to health reasons, and he afterward resided in a shelter in Paris. According to AP, the airport doctor in the 1990s worried about Nasseri's physical and mental condition and called him "fossilized here." An airport representative stated that Nasseri had returned to living at Charles de Gaulle in the weeks prior to his passing.

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