Arab American Who Guards Bush Is Barred From Flight

Reuters | 12/27/01

[kattracks]

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - An Arab American U.S. Secret Service agent heading to Texas to protect President Bush was barred from taking an American Airlines flight this week, the Secret Service said on Thursday.

U.S. Secret Service spokesman Brian Marr said the agent, whom he declined to identify, was not allowed to take the flight but said he was unable to confirm details of a New York Times report saying the agent was asked to get off the plane.

The newspaper said the agent, who was armed, was originally scheduled to accompany Bush to Texas on Air Force One but a change in the president's schedule forced him to book a commercial flight on Tuesday evening.

The New York Times said that once the agent had taken his seat, he was confronted by airline security personnel, asked to exit the plane for additional security checks and ultimately was barred from the flight even though he had offered to have the Secret Service confirm his identity.

There was no immediate comment from American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp, on the incident. Bush on Wednesday traveled to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, where he plans to vacation through next week.

[COBOL2Java]

ooops

[Redbob]

Sounds OK by me!
Anyone you know want to fly with an armed Arab?
Not me, not unless I'm also "permitted" the means of defending myself.

[abandon]

The New York Times said that once the agent had taken his seat, he was confronted by airline security personnel, asked to exit the plane for additional security checks and ultimately was barred from the flight even though he had offered to have the Secret Service confirm his identity.

If I had been a passenger on that plane, I would be pissed off that an armed SS Agent was not allowed to fly. Isn't this what the Air Marshall Program is all about?

[tbeatty]

Sounds like American Airlines is shaving trouble telling good guys from bad guys. They let the shoe bomber on but kicked the Secret Service guy off.

[monkeyshine]

How can his identity as a secret service agent be confirmed by the airline? Seems impossible. Fake ID, fake phone calls, etc. There's just no way to tell. Make him check his gun in like all airline passengers, or let all passengers carry.

[Publius6961]

You would think that knowing that he is armed and an Arab, would give this Einstein a clue that perhaps he should have the Secret Services confirm his bona fides before he showed up for the flight?

[sheik yerbouty]

Take it in context. There's a war on..

[tbeatty]

Sounds OK by me! Anyone you know want to fly with an armed Arab?

That's a pretty disgusting attitude. Forget the Hyphen-American. I'll fly with any armed American and especially armed law enforcement.

Let me guess, you also criticize non-white Americans for using the hyphen to describe their ethnicity, but your the first to drop the American tag. This man was an American, period.

I applaud the security team for the additional check but once his identity is verified, he flies.

[kattracks]

How did this guy get on the plane in the first place if he was armed?

[ZULU]

If this Arab was a Christian Arab, the Airlines made a wrong choice. After all, Arab Christians have had to deal with these people for centuries and are really victims of Islamic oppression.

On the otherhand, a Muslim, of whatever ethnicity, should NOT be guarding our President - PERIOD.

[texlok]

Hrmm...let me get this straight, the airlines botched their security to a point that four of their planes could be hijacked and used as missiles. Now they overreact to the point they won't even let Secret Service agents fly.

I would rather be flying with an armed Secret Service agent of any ethnic origin than many of my fellow citizens.

This is getting out of hand.

[abandon]

On the otherhand, a Muslim, of whatever ethnicity, should NOT be guarding our President - PERIOD.

If he's good enough for President Bush, he's good enough for me.

[texlok]

Anyone you know want to fly with an armed Arab?Our President has no problem with it. But then again he's not one to ignorantly judge people based on the color of their skin.

[tbeatty]

How did this guy get on the plane in the first place if he was armed?

Federal law enforcement can carry weapons anywhere in the U.S. including airplanes and military bases.

[RussianBear716]

Yeah right..especially one who is a Secret Service agent, they are the most unreliable kind of Arabs (sarcastic mode off)

[Bikers4Bush]

I've got some bad news for you. I have a buddy here at work who is Arab (Egyptian to be specific), his quote about being searched before a flight just because he's Arab "Not only do I want them to search me but any other Arab on the flight as well. I know I'm o.k. but I don't know that the others aren't terrorists."

Does that make him racist?

[BansheeBill]

Lets see....he's a Secret Service agent, and he's armed...now to travel around the US to different states with different right to carry laws, he's ging to NEED his official Secret Service ID to show to any local Police, to justify his carrying a weapon.

The airline lets him on the plane, armed, without him showing Secret Service ID? I knew a guy in the Secret Service, and if he was carrying a weapon, he ALWAYS had his Secret Service ID...something is missing from this story, then again it is a Reuters story.