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The suspect charged with hijacking in connection with an incident at Vancouver International Airport on Tuesday was a pilot more than a decade ago.
Shaheer Cassim, 39, has been charged with hijacking after being accused of stealing a small plane from the Victoria Flying Club, flying it over the Salish Sea and eventually landing it at YVR.
Cassim made a brief court appearance on Wednesday afternoon and remains in custody.
A Facebook page of someone with the same name and image describes himself as a “messenger of Allah.”
“I am the messiah sent to save humanity from climate change and usher in an era of world peace.”
This person also writes about climate change, saying the sea ice is going to disappear within two years and humans will eventually go extinct.
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The Facebook profile says he was employed from 2008 to 2010 by now-defunct KD Air, a small airline based on Vancouver Island.
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The airline’s former owners, Diana and Lars Banke, said in an interview that Cassim was one of the smartest and best pilots they ever worked with, calling him a fast learner who was highly intelligent.
But Lars Banke said Cassim left the airline after getting “bored” and then went to medical school. He also said Cassim believed the world was coming to an end.
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Cassim has been involved in climate activism in the past and in 2012 he held a news conference in Victoria at the start of a cross-country bicycle trek to raise awareness about global warming.
Under the Criminal Code of Canada, a charge of hijacking could mean a sentence of life in prison. The Prosecution Service of Canada has also indicated this charge could come with terrorism implications.
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An order has been made to determine if Cassim is fit to stand trial.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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