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Jeff Miller
Fleet Admiral
Joined: 22 Nov 2001
Posts: 23947
Location: Mental Ward for the Mentaly Unstable 6th floor, Saint John's 1615 Delaware Longview Washington 98632
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 Wed Sep 22, 2004 12:01 pm The Former Cat Stevens Gets Plane Diverted |
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| Quote: | The Former Cat Stevens Gets Plane Diverted
By LESLIE MILLER
WASHINGTON (AP) - 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.
United Airlines Flight 919 had already taken off from London en route to Dulles International Airport when the match was made between the passenger and the watch list, said Nico Melendez, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration.
The plane was met by federal agents at Maine's Bangor International Airport around 3 p.m., Melendez said.
Federal officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, identified the individual as Islam.
One official said Islam, 56, was identified by the Advanced Passenger Information System, which requires airlines to send passenger information to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's National Targeting Center. TSA was then contacted and requested that the plane land at the nearest airport, the official 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 Iraq.
He abandoned his music career in the late 1970s and changed his name after being persuaded by orthodox Muslim teachers that his lifestyle was forbidden by Islamic law. He later became a teacher and an advocate for his religion, founding a Muslim school in London in 1983.
Islam 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.''
On the Net:
Yusuf Islam: http://www.yusufislam.org.uk/ |
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Lord Borg
Fleet Admiral
Joined: 27 May 2003
Posts: 11214
Location: Vulcan Capital City, Vulcan
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| Fri Sep 24, 2004 4:04 pm |
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its kinda freaky really, i live near the place where the plane was diverted, Even weirder a couple of days later pres bush was there
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Pah-Wraith
Sheikh
Joined: 30 Nov 2001
Posts: 6012
Location: Londonistan.
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| Fri Sep 24, 2004 4:56 pm |
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The Brother has been diverted from Israel before, so it doesn't surprise me too much that he was diverted from America, even though the guy spends half his time condemning work of Terrorists and raised money for 9|11 Victim's family funds.
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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| Fri Sep 24, 2004 9:25 pm |
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I'm going to assume that, until proven otherwise, government officials may just have a little more information than you or me.
-------signature-------
Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with our scars
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Lord Borg
Fleet Admiral
Joined: 27 May 2003
Posts: 11214
Location: Vulcan Capital City, Vulcan
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| Fri Sep 24, 2004 10:34 pm |
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Exsactly, there may be more then known to the public.
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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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| Sat Sep 25, 2004 12:37 am |
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Pre-9/11 it was unthinkable that anyone would fly 747's into skyscrapers. Now it is unthinkable that a celebrity could have terrorism connections. I am not making any accusations, but as T said, the government probably knows more than you or I, and even though it may seem dumb, has to be very weary of any one who might appear supspicious.
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