Syrian arrested after months trapped in Malaysia airport

A Syrian man has been arrested after almost seven months stranded in a Malaysian airport, an official said yesterday, in a bizarre saga that drew comparisons with hit movie “The Terminal.”

Hassan Al Kontar had been stuck at the budget terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport since March 7, when officials refused to let him board a flight to Ecuador. Kontar, reportedly sought by authorities in his homeland for failing to serve in the military, was also refused entry into Cambodia and not allowed back into Malaysia due to visa issues. The 36-year-old was left stranded in the terminal, surviving on donated airline meals and washing in the toilets.

He made repeated appeals in a series of YouTube videos, lamenting that rights groups had refused him help and no one would take him in. But Malaysian immigration chief Mustafar Ali said that police had finally decided to arrest Kontar and remove him from the airport Monday, as his posts — which were garnering growing media attention — had embarrassed Malaysia.