From 1988 to 2006, the red plastic benches in Terminal 1 of Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris became a home for the Iranian Karimi Nasseri. The suitcases, the tourists, the Duty-Free shops and reuniting families which are never more than a one-time event for the majority became his routine.
Born in 1945, his somewhat forgotten story recently resurfaced as he died of a heart attack on 12 November 2022.
Nasseri first arrived in Europe after fleeing political turmoil in Iran in the 1970s and settled in Belgium. He then travelled all across the continent in search of his mother but, as he never had the right documentation papers, was declined residency everywhere. Finally, he settled in Charles de Gaulle Airport. As his story acquired fame, in 1999, France offered him refugee status and a resident permit which allowed him to stay in the country indefinitely and legally.
In 2006, he was hospitalised and forced to leave. Since then, he has lived in shelters all across Paris until a few months ago when he decided to go back to the airport where he spent his last weeks.
Mostly known as “Sir Alfred Mehran” to the airport workers and passersby, his story also reached a certain level of fame thanks to Steven Spielberg’s film The Terminal starring Tom Hanks loosely inspired by his life events.
