First, I am not with American Airlines.
<<<If this story is true, what would one attribute the Captain's actions to? Highly (perhaps over) developed sense of security? Paranoia? Or racism?>>>
One could reasonably expect the Captain to have the events of the Paris-Miami in mind. Irony has it, AA paid $175 that night for the "shoe-bomber's" lodging and put him on another flight the next day. He was allowed to preceed on the plane because the questioning yielded nothing.
Of course, the Secret Service agent could have offered to check his gun as baggage instead of insisting on carrying it onboard while essentially being off duty.
As for racism, if the agent had been a caucasian - would anybody even care? Funny how some people like to pull the race card out when it suits their purpose.
If there is any doubts, the safety of the flight and its passengers must outweigh the inconvenience of an occational suspect.
Cudos to the Captain (with a capital "C")!
Does anyone question the Sercret Service agent's choice of delaying the flight for over an hour by insisting on bringing his gun in the cabin?
Following is the article:
Bush Agent Removed From Flight
By DOUGLAS KIKER
BALTIMORE (AP) - An Arab-American Secret Service agent assigned to President Bush's security detail was removed from an American Airlines flight after the pilot questioned his credentials, the Secret Service said Thursday.
American Airlines spokesman Todd Burke said "inconsistencies'' in paperwork filled out by the armed agent prompted his removal Tuesday. The captain decided a more thorough check was needed to confirm the identity of the agent, the spokesman said.
Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said Thursday that the agent told him he felt he had been kicked off the Baltimore-to-Dallas flight because of his religion and ethnicity.
But the airline spokesman said: "This has absolutely nothing to do with ethnicity of the agent. What this has to do with this was confirming that an armed individual was indeed who he said he was.''
The agent eventually traveled to Dallas on an American flight on Wednesday. He asked that his name not be released for security reasons.
"We certainly apologize to the agent for any inconvenience,'' Burke said. "But during this time of heightened security, we feel no one is above the approved security procedures.''
Hooper said the group has written a letter to the airline asking for a clarification of its rules regarding "racial and ethnic discrimination.''
The Secret Service is conducting an inquiry into the incident, said spokesman Jim Mackin.
The agent was flying to Texas, where Bush is scheduled to spend two weeks at his ranch in Crawford. A mechanical problem caused the agent's original flight to be canceled, but he was rebooked on an American flight, Hooper said.
Once seated on the plane, Hooper said, airline security personnel asked the agent to submit to additional security checks. After a delay of an hour and 15 minutes - during which the agent was questioned by the flight's pilot, airline officials and airport police - he was ordered removed from the flight despite offering to have the Secret Service confirm his identity.
Federal agents regularly travel armed aboard commercial flights, law enforcement officials said Thursday, and there is a routine procedure to ensure safety.
Before boarding a plane armed, advance notice to the airline is given and an agent goes through several credential and identification checks. Once through security, the armed agent's seat assignment is noted on the flight manifest for the crew's knowledge.
In addition, it is routine procedure for any armed agents to introduce themselves to the pilot or co-pilot upon boarding the plane.
FBI spokesman Pete Gullota said an incident similar to the one Tuesday occurred shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Gullota said an armed, off-duty FBI agent from the Baltimore office was not allowed to board a plane by a pilot despite following the security procedures for armed agents. Gullota refused to identify the airline but said the issue was cleared up and resulted in the pilot's suspension.
"This, unfortunately, is not the first time something like that has happened,'' Gullota said. "In most instances the airlines are very happy to have us on-board. We don't just don't show up at gate armed. We go through routine and a whole lot of people are notified.''