A 12-year-old boy managed to get around stepped up security and board a jetliner at an airport outside London without a passport or a boarding pass.
The boy was discovered by cabin crew and turned over to airport police. Officials said they could not explain how he got aboard the plane, especially in light of security checks imposed last week after authorities foiled an alleged plot to bomb jetliners leaving Britain.
The youngster, who was not named because of his age, left a children's home near Liverpool and began the 245-mile journey Monday by taking a train to London and then going to Gatwick airport outside the city, said Phil Green, spokesman for the Wigan town council, which oversees the boy's care.