Hassan Al Kontar
Hassan Al Kontar (Arabic: حسان القنطار; 13 July 1981) is a Syrian-born Canadian who was stranded at Kuala Lumpur International Airport from 7 March 2018 until his arrest on 1 October 2018. He has been in exile from Syria since 2011 because of his refusal to join the Syrian military and could face arrest if returned there. Since November 2018, he resides in British Columbia, Canada.
Hassan Al Kontar | |
|---|---|
| حسان القنطار | |
| Born | 13 July 1981 Al-Suweida, Syria |
| Occupation | Insurance marketing manager (2006–12) |
His plight has been compared to Tom Hanks's character in the film The Terminal, who was inspired by the real-life story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri who lived in France's Charles de Gaulle Airport for 18 years. According to CNN's Becky Anderson, his situation is not "unprecedented" and could become a more common problem for Syrian refugees because many countries will not accept Syrian nationals.