- A Syrian man who had been stranded at Kuala Lumpur's International Airport 2 since March has been arrested.
- The story of Hassan al Kontar first took social media by storm in March, when he started posting videos of himself living in the Malaysian airport's transit area.
- On Tuesday October 2, however, it was reported that the 36-year-old was "no longer" in the terminal.
A Syrian man stranded at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) since March has been arrested.
The story of Hassan al Kontar first captivated social media in March, when he began posting videos of himself living in the transit area of the Malaysian airport.
On Tuesday October 2, the BBC reported that the 36-year-old was "no longer" in the terminal.
"Passengers at the boarding area are supposed to get on their flights but this man did not do so. He is situated in a forbidden zone and we had to take the necessary action," the news site quoted Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali as saying.
The immigration chief added that Malaysian authorities would work with the Syrian embassy "to facilitate deportation to this home country".
Read more: The Syrian asylum-seeker trapped in an airport for 57 days explains his daily life
Hassan, who has more than 16,000 followers on Twitter, often provides updates on his life at KLIA2 on social media.
A dear friend took this photo and wrote: Big unwelcoming world.
— Hassan Al Kontar (@Kontar81) May 3, 2018
Ironic but true. 👍👍 pic.twitter.com/0ukdQ6sy0V
The Star reported Mustafar as having said Malaysia needed "closure" over the saga.
"The man claimed that he does not want to return to Syria because he is afraid of becoming a soldier there, or whatever his real reason is. But we need to have closure here," he is quoted as saying.
According to reports, Hassan had been working in the UAE until he was deported in 2016 when war broke out in Syria and his work permit could not be renewed.
As he refused to comply with mandatory military service, he needed to seek asylum in another country but was refused entry into Cambodia, and was not allowed back into Malaysia after being barred from a flight to Ecuador.
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