London, May 16 (ANI): A member of a gang who hijacked a plane at Stansted Airport in 2000 is now working at Heathrow Airport.

Afghan Nazamuddin Mohammidy (34) was one of nine people who hijacked a jet flying over Afghanistan and ordered it to fly to the Essex Aairport, demanding to be given asylum.

Armed officers from the Met's CO18 Aviation branch stopped him near Heathrow's Terminal 5 on suspicion of being an unlicensed cabbie, but were stunned to find that he had a British Airways pass.

He was arrested after it emerged he was on bail accused of assault - and was allegedly living at a different address instead of the one he gave in the court, The Sun reported.

Mohammidy and his gang - armed with firearms and grenades - hijacked an internal flight over Afghanistan in February 2000.

The pilot landed at Stansted in Essex after being ordered to divert to the UK.

The hijackers threatened to blow up the Boeing 727 and its 173 passengers and crew unless granted political asylum.

After 70 hours they surrendered to police and SAS troops.

Mohammidy, who lives with his family in Hounslow, Middlesex, has spent months employed by a company based in nearby Feltham, which has a contract to clean a BA training centre. (ANI)