LONDON - Police said Thursday they have arrested a Briton who prompted a terror alert in the United States after he allegedly tried to have his pilot's certificate upgraded to fly commercial planes without the proper qualifications.
Zayead Hajaig, also known as Barry John Felton, who sought flight training at the same airport northeast of Atlanta, Georgia as two of the September 11, 2001 hijackers, was arrested by anti-terrorism officers at his home in Essex on Wednesday.
The Metropolitan Police in London said the 35-year-old man was arrested "at residential premises in Essex under the Theft Act 1968 for allegedly obtaining documents by deception".
Britain's domestic Press Association news agency identified the man as Hajaig, who it said had raised suspicions after he took flying lessons at Gwinnett County Airport-Briscoe Field in 2002.
In a recent interview with Newsweek magazine, Hajaig denied any wrongdoing, saying the suspicions against him were "bollocks".
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a special alert to try and trace him after it was believed he had fled to Britain, the news agency said.
The Atlanta Joint Terrorism Task Force issued a special alert bulletin to police and aviation authorities.
British authorities were alerted and Hajaig, described as a white British national born in Nigeria, was placed on a "no-fly" list, effectively banning him from travelling on commercial flights.
On April 21, he was indicted by a US grand jury on three counts of living illegally in the United States in possession of firearms.
04/28/2005 10:49 GMT