But Spokesman Later Says No National Security Concerns Involved

An accident involving a Piper Tomahawk stolen from the Markham, Ontario Canada airport was investigated as a national security issue, but the RCMP later determined that there were no national security concerns connected to the accident.

The pilot of the aircraft was 20-year-old Mohammad Hassan Chaudhary of Markham. He crash-landed the airplane just before 0130 Friday near a shopping mall about 87 miles from Toronto. He was fatally injured in the accident. Global News reports that multiple sources said they had confirmed that the RCMP was looking into any national security concerns connected with the accident.

Chaudhary's father Afzal said his son suffered from schizophrenia. He said he was "shocked" that the young man was able to steal and fly the airplane with no flight training at all.

Chaudhary said that his son would not harm anybody, though he did have a criminal history. He was charged in 2015 in connection with an alleged robbery using a pellet gun at a gas station.

After lengthy questioning of Mohammad Chaudhary's family, the RCMP told the paper through a spokesman that they had dropped their national security concerns in connection with the accident.

FMI: www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en