MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Florida Institute of Technology student accused of trying to steal an American Airlines jetliner from the Orlando Melbourne International Airport will be immediately deported to his his home country Trinidad and will be unable to return to the U.S., according to the Florida State Attorney's Office.
Nishal Kiran Sankat, 22, scaled a fence on Sept. 20 around 2 a.m., boarded an Airbus A321 and was attempting to get into the cock pit when he was stopped by an aviation technician working on the plane, according to Melbourne police.
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Officials with the Brevard Seminole State Attorney's Office said Monday Sankat entered a plea to a single count of burglary to a conveyance and was adjudicated guilty by Judge Morgan Reinman.
Sankat was sentenced to time served, for the 12 days he spent in the Brevard County Jail and ordered to pay $909.45, the the cost of the Melbourne Airport Police investigation.
"The plea was part of an agreement reached after an extensive investigation by Melbourne Police, Melbourne Airport Police, Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the FBI found Sankat acted alone and was suffering from depression and mental health issues when he boarded the American Airlines jet," a statement from the State Attorney's Office said.
Sankat was a part-time aviation student, according to Florida Tech. He has a Florida's driver's license, is from Trinidad and Tobago and entered the United States through Canada, officials said.
As part of a plea deal, Sankat's visa was terminated and he will be immediately deported to Trinidad. Sankat will also be unable to return to the U.S. as a convicted felon and he will be added to the U.S. "no fly" list.
All of the involved law enforcement agencies agreed to accept the terms of the plea.
The process to revoke Sankat's pilot license with the Federal Aviation Administration is currently underway.