The Iranian born in 1945 had been in a kind of no man’s land at the airport since 1988. Due to problems with his asylum application, he had nowhere else to go. In 1999 France granted him a residence permit as a refugee. He then lived in Paris for a short time but soon returned to the airport departure lounge, according to his lawyer because he didn’t have the courage to leave the airport.
After all, in 2006 he left Charles de Gaulle, because he had to be hospitalized. Later the French Red Cross put him in a hotel. Since 2008 he has been living in a shelter in Paris. It is said that he returned to the airport recently.
Tom Hanks plays his life
Karimi Nasseri ended up in Paris after flying from Iran to London, Berlin and Amsterdam to look for his mother. In all countries he was deported because he didn’t have the right documents. In Charles de Gaulle, a network of sympathizers cared for the Iranian, who received food, medical care and books from them, among other things.
Her situation inspired director Spielberg to make The Terminal. This 2004 film stars Tom Hanks. The story revolves around a man trapped at JFK airport in New York after a revolution breaks out in his home country.
