A convicted gang member has managed to slip onto one of Denmark's evacuation flights from Kabul and then tried to cheat his way into the country by using his brother's name to get past the police registering evacuees upon arrival at Copenhagen Airport, Danish Radio has reported.
The 23-year-old man, a member of the notorious Loyal to Familia gang, was deported from Denmark in July after serving a five-year sentence for possession of a firearm.
However, he was discovered and arrested immediately at the airport, whereupon he confessed his true identity.
In court, he said he got on the flight "to bring himself to safety", following the Taliban* takeover of the Afghan capital.
The court has so far ordered to hold the man in custody for 24 days pending trial for breaking an entry ban.
The 23-year-old grew up in Denmark. In court he said that both his father and several siblings are in the country. One of his brothers, who also arrived recently from Afghanistan, described the situation back home as "chaotic".
"We've been through hell the last few days. He needs help", the brother told Danish Radio.
Denmark has so far evacuated more than 650 people from Afghanistan, with more flights from Kabul scheduled via Islamabad and Dubai.
Denmark's Defence Minister Trine Bramsen praised the nation's armed forces and other agencies for their "extraordinary efforts" over the past week.
The gang Loyal to Familia (LTF), which was founded in 2013 in Copenhagen's suburbs and used to be Denmark's largest, has been banned by various courts as a criminal association. According to the police, it has been involved in at least 63 shooting episodes that left five people dead and many more wounded. In the High Court, it also emerged that 372 current and former members of the gang have received a total of 1,409 years in prison for various crimes, Danish Radio reported.
Nevertheless, the gang is still trying to reverse the ban, citing freedom of association.
*The Taliban is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia and others nations.