The Syrian who had been stranded at KLIA2 since March will be deported to his homeland soon.

Deputy Home Minister Mohd Azis Jamman said the government was left with no choice as Hassan Al Kontar declined assistance offered by various countries, including Malaysia.

"I was made to understand that there were countries which offered to help him but he refused. He only wants to seek refuge in Canada," Mohd Azis said during a press conference after launching the National Registration Day at the National Registration Department in Putrajaya.

He said the Syrian Embassy had tried to convince the man to return to Syria but he refused to do so.

"And he does not want to stay in Malaysia either. We cannot let him stay at the airport. It doesn't make sense.

"He only wants Canada but I was told that Canada would take two years to accept him, probably due to some processes," he said, without revealing which other countries had offered to help Hassan.

Mohd Azis said some MPs had appealed to him to let Hassan stay here for several more months but the Syrian declined, with his mind firmly set on Canada.

In a report by The Star yesterday, Immigration Department director-general Mustafar Ali said Hassan was detained by police on Monday for being in the airport’s restricted zone and that he would be handed over to the Immigration once the police complete their investigation.

Mustafar said Hassan claimed that he refused to return to Syria as he was afraid of becoming a soldier, the report added

During his 'stay' at the KLIA2 terminal, Hassan shared about his life in transit on social media. This garnered attention from many parties who likened him to Tom Hanks' character in the movie The Terminal.