Secret of youth - man looks years younger after flight

Canadian officials have detained a young Asian man who apparently
boarded a flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver disguised as an elderly
white male.

Canadian Border Services said the man wore a silicone mask covering
his head and neck in what they called an "unbelievable case of
concealment".

Suspicions were raised when an apparently elderly passenger was
noticed with young-looking hands.

Later he emerged from a washroom looking like a man in his twenties.

An internal intelligence alert from the Canadian Border Services
Agency (CBSA), obtained by AP news agency, shows before-and-after
photos.

The passenger was seen at the start of the flight as an "elderly
Caucasian male who appeared to have young-looking hands," the CBSA
bulletin said.
Disguise kit

"The subject attended the washroom and emerged an Asian looking male
that appeared to be in his early twenties."

The document said the man had a bag with a "disguise kit which
consisted of a silicone type head and neck mask of an elderly
Caucasian male, a brown leather cap, glasses and a thin brown
cardigan."

"We can confirm that officials from the CBSA met a passenger arriving
off AC018 Hong Kong to Vancouver on October 29 and the matter is still
under investigation," Air Canada spokesperson Angela Mah told AFP news
agency.

The man is reported to be seeking refugee status in Canada.