Baby spotted in baggage scanner

Security staff were shocked to spot a five-month-old baby in a baggage scanner after his parents hid him in luggage because he didn't have a visa.

The Egyptian husband and wife reportedly arrived at Sharjah International Airport in the United Arab Emirates on Friday night but were denied entry as they did not have a visa for the newborn, said the Daily Mail.

Airport authorities allowed them to stay until the relevant office re-opened on the Sunday but they decided to try and board the plane when the shift staff changed.

They stashed the baby into a bag but security staff noticed the outline of the body on the screen.

A Sharjah Police spokesman said: "They were risking the life of the baby.

"They said in an interrogation they'd resorted to sneaking him through inside a bag because he did not have a passport or visa and they wanted to have him with them in the UAE."

The couple were arrested and charged with endangering the baby's life, who could have been exposed to the dangers of radiation.

The pair, who The National paper reported had previously been staying in the UAE illegally, left because the mother was pregnant and wanted to give birth at home in Egypt.

It is unclear how the child was initially placed onto the aircraft without a passport.