Iranian refugee Mehran Karimi Nasseri died of a heart attack on November 12, 2022, at a terminal at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, according to sources.

Though he was experiencing a lengthy stopover—a 34-year layover, in fact—the man, who was thought to be in his late 70s, wasn’t there on business and wasn’t waiting for a flight.

A number of documentaries, media attention, and one of the most well-known filmmakers in the world, Steven Spielberg, all sought the rights to tell Nasseri’s, or rather “Sir Alfred’s,” peculiar story of belonging.

The man in the terminal appears to have finally taken off, keeping the mystery that baffled so many despite a public fascination that lasted for more than three decades.

When Nasseri arrived at Charles de Gaulle in 1988 in search of admittance to England, very little was actually known about him.

Nasseri, who was exiled from his native Iran in 1977 for allegedly criticizing “the regime of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi while a student in England,” according to news sources, eventually wound up in a precarious situation when he reportedly misplaced his temporary refugee papers.

Various sources give different versions of how the man’s papers and passport disappeared, but the result is always the same. From 1988 to 2006, Nasseri resided at Terminal 1, a No-Land.

Man’s After receiving medical attention, Nasseri was transported to various shelters before being brought back to the airport, which had become his residence.

Journalists, documentarians, and Christian Bourget, the human rights attorney who took on Nasseri’s case, were naturally intrigued by this strange circumstance.

In example, DreamWorks, the production business founded by director Steven Spielberg, made a proposal in 2003.

Although Bourget admitted, “While he became a bit richer, Alfred is extremely paranoid and confused,” the rights to Nasseri’s story brought in about $250,000.

Regardless of whether Nasseri knew who Spielberg was or not, he seemed to enjoy the conversations and attention his peculiar situation generated.

Tom Hanks and a large ensemble cast starred in Steven Spielberg’s 2004 picture The Terminal, which earned $219 million at the global box office.

Spielberg’s adaptation of Nasseri’s novel, with a screenplay by Jeff Nathanson (Catch Me If You Can), is clearly a dramatization with a strong Eat, Pray, Love-the-American Dream influence.

In the movie The Terminal, Tom Hanks plays Viktor Navorski, an immigrant from a fictional nation who is left stuck at JFK Airport after his government falls and his documents become invalid.

Hanks embarks on a fantasy adventure inside the airport, falling in love and forming real human connections in typical Spielberg style. Stanley Tucci, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Zoe Saldana, and Diego Luna from Andor round out the cast.

Although it seems that Nasseri never quite reached his planned goal, it is possible that his return to a terminal stay at the Charles de Gaulle marked the conclusion of his adventure.

Home is where the heart is, after all, and Nasseri’s Terminal 1 camp undoubtedly touched the hearts of many who wished to console, assist, and share his tale.

The following is a link to the Spielberg movie The Terminal’s trailer: