by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:00 PM ET, Mon March 7, 2016
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
On Saturday, a passenger making his way through London's Heathrow Airport was arrested after illegally boarded a plane and locked himself in the cockpit.
According to The Associated Press, London Metropolitan Police revealed that 38-year-old Louis Pedro Verdasca dos Santos Costa from West London was officially charged Sunday with being unlawfully on an aircraft and unlawfully being airside.
Santos Costa reportedly ran through a security checkpoint and entered an empty plane before locking himself in the cockpit of the British Airways aircraft. Due to the reinforced cockpit doors added to protect pilots from attacks, security officials trying to arrest the man struggled to reach him.
READ MORE: Suspected Stowaway Dies After Falling From British Airways Flight Over London
Local media outlets in London are reporting that Santos Costa is due to appear in court next week, but British Airways revealed it couldn't make an official statement about the incident, saying only that the company is working with police.
Heathrow Airport officials released a statement to The AP, saying, "Safety and security are always our main priority and we take incidents involving either very seriously indeed. Individuals illegally entering the airside environment potentially endanger their own lives and those of others."
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