Mehran Karimi Nasseri (nicknamed “Sir Alfred Mehran“) lived for 18 yearsfrom August 1988 to July 2006, inside the airport Charles de Gaulle of Paris. His story is still uncertain, given that his statements have changed over and over again, but the only safe thing is that he has found himself in airport without documents: Without passport, in fact, he could not climb a new plane and if he left the airport he would have been arrested for not having personal documents. That place was therefore the only limbo in which the refugee of Iranian origins could live. But how did he end up in this situation? We retrace this incredible story that, among other things, has inspired Steven Spielberg’s famous film The Terminal starring Tom Hanks.
Why Mehran Karimi Nasseri He was stuck at the airport
The story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri It is largely wrapped in uncertainty, since the only source are its own statements which, however, have changed several times over time – also due to its mental decline. Below we will therefore report one of the most accredited versions, even if there are alternatives.
Nasseri probably was born in Iran in the [1945 From an illegitimate relationship between an Iranian man and a British woman and in the early 1980s he took part in some Student revolts in Tehran. This event put him under the police lens and therefore this, together with the will to know his mother better, prompted him to definitively abandon his hometown to go to Europe.
Initially went in Belgium Under refugee status but one day, during a trip a Paris, Someone He stole the documents – Or at least, so he declared Nasseri later. Without documents he tried to embark on Heathrow but he could not leave and remained blocked at Charles de Gaulle of Paris. Here he was in a limbo: He could not leave the airport because he was without documents, and at the same time he could not even travel to another country because he would be rejected. Even France could not deport it, because no other country would have welcomed it. The Terminal 1 He then became his new home.
Life in the airport
The “house” of Mehran it was one metal bench Around which, over time, suitcases, boxes and all its personal effects were piled up. Every morning he went to the airport toilet to settle and make himself presentable while during the day he passed a lot of his time a read newspapers And write A detailed diary in which he pointed out everything that happened to him.
As for the food, The pilots who passed through the airport often had some meal vouchers who did not use, giving them to Sir Alfred And giving him the opportunity to buy a fast food sandwich.
The end of Sir Alfred’s stay
After the release of the film with Tom Hanks Its history became public domain and everyday picks of journalists they presented themselves to be able to do it some questions. Actually you think that already from 1999 He received the status of from the French government refugee And, therefore, he could have remained in the country without incurring problems with the law. However that bench was now his new home, and there remained to the 2006, When it was transported to the hospital To treat a lung inflammation.
Once he left the hospital he found himself inhabiting a hostel, paying the rent with the money obtained from the rights of the film The Terminal. A few weeks before he died, in reality, Mehran Karimi Nasseri returned to the airport for a last stay, passing the best life November 12, 2022 at the age of 77 years.
