An Iranian exile has passed away after being stranded for over a decade at a French airport. This incredible story of the man served as the inspiration for the famous film “The Terminal”, starring actor Tom Hanks.
According to RT, Mehran Karimi Nasseri (77 years old) died on November 12 at Terminal 2F of Charles de Gaulle Airport (Paris, France).
Nasseri left Iran in 1977 and was once granted asylum in Belgium. He began traveling around Europe in November 1988 in search of his biological mother but was unsuccessful.
Lacking a visa, Nasseri was denied entry into the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands before arriving at the Paris airport. He was detained and later moved to Terminal 1. Nasseri remained at the airport with his suitcase, surviving on food provided by airport staff, and referred to himself as “Sir Alfred.”
Mehran Karimi Nasseri living in Paris airport. (Photo: Getty)
In 1992, a French court ruled that Nasseri could not be expelled from the airport but was also not allowed to enter the country. By 1999, he was granted residency as a refugee, but by this time, he no longer wished to leave the airport.
Nasseri’s story later caught the attention of Steven Spielberg, who offered Nasseri $250,000 for the rights to adapt it into a film. The movie premiered in 2004 under the title “The Terminal.” The film features Tom Hanks as a man from Eastern Europe stranded at an American airport after being denied entry, unable to return home due to a coup in his homeland.
In the same year, Nasseri’s autobiography, co-authored with British writer Andrew Dorkin, was published.
Ultimately, Nasseri left the airport in 2006 when he had to be hospitalized.
He returned to the airport the week before his death, having nearly exhausted his funds. A few thousand euros were found in Nasseri’s luggage when he passed away.
