Hassan al-Kontar was stuck in the airport after officials refused to let him board a flight to Ecuador.

He was reportedly sought by authorities in his homeland for failing to serve in the military.

Hassan, who was then 36, took to social media to document his experience, which eventually led to an organised campaign for him to claim asylum in Canada.

According to CTV News, since arriving in Vancouver in November 2018, Hassan has continued advocating for refugees around the world. He is now a permanent resident in Canada.

CTV News is the news division of the CTV Television Network in Canada.

In his new book titled “Man at the Airport – How Social Media Saved My Life”, Hassan details his experience and what it means to be Syrian, an “illegal” and a refugee.

“All I was asking for was a place to call home, and a place to be permanently safe, to be legally working,” he told CTV.

He also talks about the role social media played in his life, describing it as a tool that could “either be lifesaving or a weapon of mass destruction, it’s up to us how to use it.”

“For me, it changed my life,” he was quoted as saying.

Hassan had previously said he had survived on donated airline meals and did his washing in the toilets when he was stranded at klia2.

The then Immigration director-general Mustafar Ali said in 2018 that he had finally decided to arrest Hassan and remove him from the airport as his posts on social media – which had garnered media attention – had embarrassed Malaysia.

He was arrested as he was in a restricted area without a boarding pass.

“His statements on social media shamed Malaysia,” Bernama quoted Mustafar as saying.