Stowaway caught on Paris flight attempts to claim asylum

The woman who flew as a stowaway from New York to Paris is attempting to claim asylum in France, a source familiar with the matter has told CBS, the BBC's US news partner.

French authorities are apparently denying Svetlana Dali, 57, entry to the country because she doesn't meet the criteria for asylum, leaving her in limbo in the airport, the CBS source said.

The Russian national remains in France after allegedly causing a disturbance and refusing to board a return flight to the US a couple of days ago.

Ms Dali arrived in France after boarding a Delta Airlines flight last week from New York's JFK airport to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris without a boarding pass.

French police said she was refused entry to the country because she did not have a visa.

While Ms Dali hasn’t been arrested or detained in France, the source told CBS, she could face charges such as criminal trespass and theft of services upon her return to the US.

Last week, it emerged Ms Dali was able to get through an advanced imaging technology body scanner at JFK airport, and dodge document and ID checks during the security process.

In a statement provided to CBS, a TSA spokesperson confirmed that "an individual without a boarding pass was physically screened without any prohibited items. The individual bypassed two identity verification and boarding status stations and boarded the aircraft."

But it remains unclear how she was able to get through and board the plane.

"Nothing is of greater importance than matters of safety and security," Delta said in a statement. "That’s why Delta is conducting an exhaustive investigation of what may have occurred and will work collaboratively with other aviation stakeholders and law enforcement to that end."

The Guardian newspaper reported that once on board, Ms Dali moved from one bathroom to another and never took a seat - until flight attendants began to notice.

A social media video posted by a passenger shows the moment a captain explained to the plane that officials were coming to remove the woman.

"Folks, this is the captain, we are just waiting for the police to come on board," he said in the video. "They may be here now and they directed us to keep everyone on the airplane until we sort out the extra passenger that’s on the plane."

A man on the flight shared mobile phone video with CNN of the woman, who remains in France, allegedly making a disturbance on another flight that was set to return her to New York.

He said she repeated: "I do not want to go back to the USA. Only a judge can make me go back to the USA".

BBC has not independently verified the videos and it is unclear what the woman meant.