Concerns surrounding the security of Chancellor Angela Merkel have been raised after a man, wearing just his underpants and under the influence of drugs, managed to board a German government plane used by the state official.
The incident took place on July 25 but has only came to light now. The man, a 24-year-old German bodybuilder of Turkish descent, found his way into the empty plane which was stationed at the military aerodrome of Cologne airport.
Inside he played with buttons in the cockpit, sprayed foam on the carpet, released the inflatable emergency slide and for four hours ignored police orders to exit the craft.
He was only stopped when a police dog bit his leg and officers pushed him to the floor forcing him to surrender.
Police found a bag containing marijuana and ecstasy and the man’s identification documents inside the plane. He had no criminal record.
It is believed that to gain access to the airport’s military zone the man pretended to be attending a wedding reception in the officers’ quarters. He then jumped a barbed wire fence and entered the military aerodrome undetected. As soon as he identified the government jet, he undressed and climbed onto the plane’s left wing to perform a dance before opening the emergency door and entering the plane.
The plane had enough fuel to fly to Beijing, China. The incident was originally reported by German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
Damages to the tune of €134,000 have been reported by the authorities. The plane has since been repaired and is operational again.
