New York stowaway: Woman who sneaked onto JFK flight in Paris returns to US where she was arrested by FBI

NEW YORK — A Russian woman who smuggled herself onto a Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Paris last week landed in the United States on Wednesday and was arrested by the FBI, according to a U.S. official.

French authorities identified the woman as Svetlana Dali.

Dali left Paris on Wednesday aboard Delta Air Lines Flight 265 from Charles de Gaulle Airport shortly after 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) and landed at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport around 5:10 p.m. ET.

She was held in her seat while passengers disembarked, then arrested by the New York FBI at Terminal 4 of JFK Airport, the same terminal where she breached security over the weekend.

“Delta would like to thank the French and American authorities for their assistance in this matter,” Delta said in a statement.

Before his arrival, Dali sat quietly at the rear of the plane, in the central aisle. From time to time, she leaned her head against the seat in front of her, looking at the floor or closed her eyes and listened to music. She was flanked by security officials from both sides.

Two previous attempts to return Dali to the United States were abandoned after she began screaming after boarding a plane on Saturday and Tuesday when Delta refused to fly her after she boarded.

CNN producer Saskya Vandoorne was on Wednesday's flight and said Delta finally accepted her in the morning at the insistence of French law enforcement.

“She stayed at Charles De Gaulle airport for seven days because Delta refused to take her back twice,” Vandoorne explained.

Delta declined to comment on the reasons for refusing to carry it.

Dali is expected to make his first appearance in Brooklyn federal court on Thursday.

RELATED | New Details About Stowaway Who Sneaked On NYC Delta Flight To ParisHow She Sneaked Past Airport Security

The initial incident, in which Dali sneaked onto a plane on one of the busiest travel days of the year, raised serious questions about airport security after she managed to bypass several checkpoints.

Dali first bypassed an airport terminal employee in charge of the queue for the known crew member checkpoint at Terminal 4 at JFK Airport and bypassed the stations where his card Identity and boarding pass would have been checked, a TSA spokesperson told CNN.

At the front door, she stood in the middle of what appeared to be a family traveling together, according to a senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. She was not carrying any prohibited items, according to a TSA spokesperson.

Asked repeatedly to describe what happened at the gate, Delta made no comment.

On board, Dali managed to avoid easy detection by hiding in the toilet, said a passenger on the plane who heard the flight attendants say.

“I heard the flight attendants talking about it with the pilots,” Rob Jackson, a New York real estate broker, told CNN. “They said this person was in a restroom and then came out and went to another restroom and stayed there for a long time.”

Delta Airlines said Wednesday evening that it had reviewed its safety infrastructure and called what happened last week a “deviation from standard procedures.”

Former professional pilot JP Tristani says every failed level of safety needs to be looked at closely, to prevent someone who might want to cause real harm from doing the same.

“Right now there should be a crash course on what happened, a full investigation and it needs to be done before the Christmas travel season starts,” he said. “The constant failure, from security to procedures on board the plane”

TSA prepares civil case, spokesperson says

TSA inspectors are preparing a civil case against Dali after viewing airport security video from JFK Airport, agency spokeswoman Alexa Lopez told CNN.

“TSA will initiate civil charges against passengers when there is evidence that procedures may have been violated,” Lopez said. The TSA cannot initiate criminal charges, but it can refer them to the Department of Justice.

Law enforcement authorities want to question Dali about how she escaped airport security and determine whether or not she should press charges, according to a senior law enforcement official.

Delta said it is working with law enforcement and conducting its own investigation.

“Nothing is more important than issues of safety and security,” a Delta spokesperson said in a statement. “That is why Delta is conducting a full investigation into what may have occurred and will work collaboratively with other aviation stakeholders and law enforcement to this end.”

CNN contacted Delta to ask if Dali would be banned from future flights with the airline.

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