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Posted on 09/21/2004 7:05:56 PM PDT by blogblogginaway
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 (news) — 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 (news - web sites).
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Peace Train comes to a grinding halt.
He's being followed by a moonshadow.
I just read this. I have to admit that one of my guilty pleasures is liking his music, but I have always thought that he was a total freak.
OOOOOHHHHH, baby, baby, it's a wild world.............
Leo G. Sayer is still at large.
morning has broken.
If he ever loses his mouth, he won't have to talk no more.
Hadn't known that "Cat" had become so radicalized....
Yusuf Islam. Funny, his name wasn't "Joe Baptist" before.
And Christopher Cross is an unindicted co-conspirator.
Anyone know why Cat is on the watch list? Converting to Islam is not enough, of course, but getting involved in seditious or ugly activity is. What has Cat done to deserve this disgrace?
I'm going to change my name to Dog Johnson, and then to Joe Christianity.
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Neil Sedaka is in hiding!
Air Supply seen photographing bridges.
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"Peace Train" my ass. |
Useless Islam is grounded.
There was an old basketball player named Cyril Baptiste.
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