CBS h/t Her Royal Whyness:
Passenger on Flight to NY Held in Puerto Rico
"Potential Person of Interest" Removed From Africa-to-NY Flight for Further Questioning
(CBS/AP) U.S. authorities detained a passenger on an Africa-to-New York flight during a fuel stop in Puerto Rico on Thursday, officials said, without disclosing why the person was held or giving any details.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency issued a statement identifying the passenger only as a "potential person of interest," who was removed from the Delta Air Lines flight for further questioning and remained in custody. Spokeswoman Jenny Burke declined to provide details.
Delta said it received a request from the government to board and remove the passenger during the refueling stop in Puerto Rico.
There was no incident on board the plane, passengers were not in any danger and the flight continued to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport afterward, said Delta spokeswoman Susan Chana Elliott.
Flight 215 was traveling from Dakar, Senegal, in West Africa to John F. Kennedy International Airport when it diverted to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to refuel. Such a diversion is not unusual for a full flight that runs into trans-Atlantic headwinds and was not related to the passenger, Elliott said.
Customs Border Protection released a statement about the detainment:
“This morning, Delta Airlines Flight 215 from Dakar Airport (DKR) in Senegal to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) was boarded by CBP during a routine refueling stop at San Juan Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU) due to a potential person of interest. The passenger was removed from the flight for further questioning and remains in CBP custody.”
No-fly' Nigerian allegedly on US-bound jet
ReplyDeleteThe Associated Press
Updated: 04/22/2010 12:01:44 PM PDT
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico—A man detained in Puerto Rico had apparently managed to board a New York-bound jet in Nigeria even though he was on an official no-fly list.
A passenger tells The Associated Press that the pilot disclosed the apparent breach as the Delta Air Lines flight stopped to refuel in Puerto Rico.
Passenger Joan Mower says the pilot said he was informed about the passenger while over the Atlantic.
Flight 215 originated in Abuja, Nigeria, where the man boarded the jet. It continued on to New York after the man was detained Thursday. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol says the unidentified man is being held for questioning. He was taken into custody without incident.
Customs officials had no immediate comment.
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OT, just hung up the phone on an automated DNC sponsored call looking for folks angry with wall street to press 1.
This automated call confirms yet again how borg'ish the DNC is and how they anticipate their supporters are willing to be perceived as members of the Borg.
Sources: Man Added To No-Fly List In Air
ReplyDeletehttp://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/04/22/sources-man-added-to-no-fly-list-in-air/
Two sources confirmed to Fox News that the man in question, a citizen of Gambia, had been added to the no-fly list while Flight 215 was in the air.
Passenger Nbaye Beye said the man, who appeared to be in his late 20s, appeared nervous when approached by a U.S. agent but got off the plane quietly.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0410/728663.html
They got word, huh?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=171709
ReplyDelete‘Man Evicted from US Plane not Nigerian’
The Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Mr. Harold Demuren has said the man arrested aboard a United States jetliner and detained in Puerto Rico is from Gambia and not a Nigerian as was initially reported yesterday.
Demuren told reporters yesterday that it was a case of mistaken identity and that the reports in the media were false.
"The truth is that the man did not join the flight in Abuja. He joined the flight in Dakar, Senegal and I gathered that he is a Gambian," he said.
On how he was able to find out, Demuren said he got in touch with the officials of Delta Airlines and learnt that the man’s name is Salieu Badjan from Gambia.
According to him, Delta Airlines officials made the manifest available to him yesterday on request. On Thursday, United States authorities detained a passenger said to be on the country’s "no fly" list on an Abuja to New York flight during a fuel stop in Puerto Rico.
The apparent breach was reported by the Delta Airlines pilot when he stopped to refuel in Puerto Rico. He said he got the information while flying over the Atlantic.
Delta Airline Flight 215 was reported to have originated from Abuja and the man was initially thought to be Nigeria.
Nonetheless, the flight continued to New York after the man was removed while US Custom officials said they were interrogating him in custody