Another security success story for passenger screening

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: John Adams <jadams01 () sprynet com>
Date: September 21, 2004 11:46:53 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: For IP? Another security success story for passenger screening

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/22/politics/22flight.html

Jet Is Diverted to Detain Man in Security Case
By MATTHEW L. WALD

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 - The Department of Homeland Security ordered a 
United Airlines jet flying from London to Washington rerouted to 
Bangor, Me., on Tuesday afternoon so it could intercept a passenger, 
Yusuf Islam, the musician formerly known as Cat Stevens, two government 
officials said.

Mr. Islam was "denied entry into the United States," said an official, 
and was in the custody of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. The 
plan on Tuesday evening was to deport Mr. Islam, who is a British 
subject, the officials said.

The officials, both of whom said they could not be named because this 
was a security issue, said Mr. Islam was a financial supporter of 
groups believed to be linked to terrorism. Mr. Islam's Web site lists 
him as a supporter of many charities.

Since converting to Islam in 1977 and renouncing his former identity as 
a pop singer who sold 25 million albums, Mr. Islam has been quoted 
making contradictory statements about various issues in the Muslim 
world.

At one point he appeared to support the death sentence pronounced by 
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Iranian leader, in 1989, against the 
author Salman Rushdie for his novel "The Satanic Verses." Though he 
said at another point that he did not support the ayatollah's edict, 
his anti-Rushdie comment drew wide criticism.

After the interception of Mr. Islam on Tuesday, one of the government 
officials said, "He is not on a watch list for making verbal threats."

Mr. Islam was deported from Israel in July 2000 because he was believed 
to be a supporter of Hamas, the terrorist group.

On Tuesday Mr. Islam was on a Boeing 747-400 with 249 passengers 
aboard. After it was diverted, the plane was kept on the ground for 
more than three hours.

----And the AP version:

/By LESLIE MILLER, Associated Press Writer/

WASHINGTON - A plane bound for Washington from London was diverted to 
Maine on Tuesday after passenger Yusuf Islam — formerly known as pop 
singer Cat Stevens — showed up on a U.S. watch list, federal officials 
said.

"He was interviewed and denied admission to the United States on 
national security grounds," said Homeland Security spokesman Dennis 
Murphy. He said the man would be put on the first available flight out 
of the country Wednesday.

Islam, who was born Stephen Georgiou, took Cat Stevens as a stage name 
and had a string of hits in the 1960s and '70s, including "Wild World" 
and "Morning Has Broken." Last year he released two songs, including a 
re-recording of his '70s hit "Peace Train," to express his opposition 
to the U.S.-led war in Iraqslam recently condemned the school seizure 
by militants in Beslan, Russia, earlier this month that left more than 
300 dead, nearly half of them children.

In a statement on his Web site, he wrote, "Crimes against innocent 
bystanders taken hostage in any circumstance have no foundation 
whatsoever in the life of Islam and the model example of Prophet 
Muhammad, peace be upon him."

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