Aamir Mohamed Ageeb

Case details: Aamir Mohamed Ageeb was taken on board a flight to Cairo, bound hand and foot and wearing a motorbike helmet tightly strapped onto his head. He died shortly after boarding the flight. After physicians on board made an unsuccessful attempt to revive him, the plane made an emergency landing in Munich where Ageeb was pronounced dead. There are indications that Ageeb died of suffocation as a result of his upper body being violently pushed downwards. There are allegations, based on witness reports, that the three BGS officers who carried out the deportation had refused to untie the lifeless Ageeb so as to enable effective attempts at resuscitation to be made by doctors on board. It has also been claimed that Ageeb"s appeals that he could not breathe did not lead to any cessation in the police officers" violence and that the Lufthansa crew made no efforts to intervene to stop the violence.

Action taken: The three federal border guards involved were removed from deportation duties, but not suspended from police duties. An investigation by the federal ministry of the interior cleared them of any fault.

A temporary embargo on forced deportations was lifted after one month.

Immediately after Ageeb"s death, police claimed that he had been so violent as to bring about his own death. None of the police allegations about Ageeb"s violent criminal record were ever substantiated.

Prosecutions: Three German border police officers were given suspended nine-month prison sentences by a court on 18 October 2004 over the death of Aamir Ageeb during his forced deportation from Frankfurt airport.

see: German police sentenced over deportation death