The Iranian refugee who inspired the film 'The Terminal' dies at a Paris airport

• Chronicle Trapped in the old smoking room of the Moscow airport

Mehran Karimi Naseri

, an Iranian political refugee who lived for more than 18 years at

airport in Paris and inspired Steven Spielberg for his film

, died this Saturday in one of its terminals, a source told AFP. airport.

He died of natural death shortly before noon on Saturday at terminal 2F, the same source said.

After having spent much of the money received for the film, he had returned to the airport a few weeks ago, the source added.

.

Mehran Karimi Naseri, known as 'Sir Alfred', born in 1945 in

, in the Iranian province of

, had chosen to live in

, north of Paris, in November 1988, after a long journey in search of his mother who had taken him to

.

In all destinations he was expelled by the authorities for lack of documentation.

In 1999 he obtained refugee status in France and a residence permit.

In Roissy he had become an emblematic figure, the subject of numerous reports on French and foreign television and radio, before his cinematographic consecration.

In 2004,

played his role in "The Terminal" directed by Steven Spielberg.

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