Man sent back to US after dressing as airport cleaner to try and break lockdown to visit girlfriend in Germany

Frankfurt airport staff noticed he could not speak German and did not have any staff ID

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A 20-year-old American man who dressed as an airport cleaner to cheat German coronavirus border controls so he could visit his girlfriend has been sent back to the US.

Police said that the man had donned a high-visibility vest and picked-up two bags of rubbish in an attempt to pass as an airport cleaner, after he arrived at Frankfurt airport from Washington on Sunday.

"He then tried to convince security staff that he was a cleaner and was supposed to empty the bins behind the security area," German federal police said in a statement.

However, his plan was foiled when a member of staff noticed he was not wearing a security pass and couldn't speak German.

The employee informed the police, who then detained the man inside the airport.

He confessed at a police station that he was desperate to see his girlfriend and couldn't think of another way of entering the country.

The 20-year-old did not pass through into the arrivals area, and would have needed to pass more border controls before exiting the airport, said police.

After being questioned, the young American was sent back to Washington on Monday.

Germany has imposed tough border controls to try to stop the spread of Covid-19, which has infected more than 170 000 people in the country.

Whilst some air traffic between the US and Germany continues, Americans are not allowed to enter the country.