Afghan Illegal in Sandhurst Military Academy

As young British men are dying with alarming frequency in Afghanistan, British Army officers bumped into an Afghan in a rather unexpected place - Sandhurst Military Academy.

The illegal immigrant was on a coach full of officers - but was only noticed after the vehicle was inside the gates of the elite military academy.

From the Times:

The Army today launched an investigation into its security measures after an illegal immigrant from Afghanistan managed to get inside Sandhurst military academy by stowing away on a coach full of officers.

The man is thought to have slipped on board the coach at Calais as it carried troops back to Britain from 28 Engineer Regiment’s barracks in Hamlyn, Germany.

He was finally spotted crouching in a stairwell next to the bus toilet by two junior officers as they got off the coach. By that time the bus was already inside the gates of the academy at Camberley, Surrey.

An MoD spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that an individual was discovered on board a coach within the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, having stowed onboard during the coach’s transit from Germany.

The man, who claimed to be a minor but is believed to be older, was arrested by Thames Valley police and handed over to the UK Border Agency.

A UK Border Agency spokesman said: “As soon as this individual was discovered he was taken into custody, detained and finger-printed so he could be checked against a range of criminal and immigration watch-lists.

“People with no right to be in the UK will be removed at the earliest opportunity.”