Suspected Terrorist Stowaway Found in Italy

Italian police found a terrorist suspect stowed away in a shipping container with a Canadian passport and maps and security passes for Canadian airports. When they discovered the mysterious Egyptian man, he was well dressed, clean-shaven and equipped with a computer, an expensive satellite telephone, two other mobile phones and cameras. He also had a drill he used to make breathing holes in the metal shipping container. The container was described as ?very tidy and well appointed,? with supplies for a long journey and a bucket the man used as a toilet.

Government officials are trying to find out whether Rizik Amid Farid, 43, is the legitimate holder of his passport. They have already talked to Mr. Farid?s family in Canada, says Reynald Doiron. He did not indicate where the family lives, although he says, ?We?re going to meet with that person and find out more about who he is, then reconstruct the whole situation.? One news report from Italy quoted Interpol Ottawa, which is run by the Canadian Mounted Police, as saying the address and phone number Farid gave for his parents in Canada are false.

The man was carrying maps and security passes for airports in Canada, Thailand and Egypt, as well as a certificate indicating he is an aircraft mechanic. ?He was in possession of documents and apparatus that no ordinary illegal immigrant would have been able to afford,? says Roberto Di Palma, a local prosecutor. ?The average illegal immigrant does not have high-tech equipment and airport security passes. The FBI has been alerted to the discovery of Mr. Farid.?

Michele Filippo Italiano, Farid?s lawyer in Italy, says he lives in Montreal and has Canadian citizenship. He took the trip in a container, Mr. Italiano says, because he had an argument with relatives he was visiting in Cairo and was afraid they would use their connections to prevent him from leaving Egypt by more conventional means. In the meantime, Farid remains in prison in Rome.

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