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Woman scales airport fence to try to stop plane

Tuesday, 12 August 20143 min read

Another security breach has occurred at a North American airport, this time at Halifax in Canada.

A woman climbed over a 10-foot perimeter fence and managed to reach the tarmac before being spotted and apprehended.

Airport officials said they were forced to divert a small aircraft that was in the immediate area.

Airport spokesperson Peter Spurway said the 37-year-old woman jumped the fence and was spotted almost immediately by personnel in the air traffic control tower.

He said the woman suffered minor injuries climbing the fence, and was later taken to hospital for medical assistance.

"Her intention was to stop the plane, as she believed her partner was on an aircraft," Spurway said.

"It’s an unusual incident to say the least."

An unnamed airport employee said the woman earlier went to an airline desk in the terminal asking for a plane to be stopped as she believed her partner was departing to meet another woman.

"This is the first incident of its kind that I’m aware of," said Spurway, who added that cameras, heat sensors and motion detectors are installed at points along the perimeter fence.

Police spokesman Sgt. Alain LeBlanc said the woman is unlikely to face criminal charges.