Rediffmail Money rediffGURUS BusinessEmail

Take heart George, even Ted was stopped

August 20, 2004 22:17 IST

George Fernandes has company.

United States Senator Edward M 'Ted' Kennedy was stopped and questioned at airports along the East Coast fives times in March, the Washington Post reports.

The paper said the senator was questioned as his name appeared on the government's secret 'no-fly' list. It reportedly took the senator and his staff more than three weeks to get his name removed.

The newspaper quoted a senior administration official saying that Kennedy was stopped because the name "T Kennedy" has been used as an alias by someone on the list of terrorist suspects.

While officials checked his credentials, Kennedy had to wait in terminals at Reagan National and Boston's Logan International. The newspaper said Kennedy also had to wait at one more airport, which they did not name.

The 'no-fly' list was established by security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The government does not make public the names or the total number of people on the list, which officials say is constantly updated.

According to FBI documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union under a Freedom of Information Act request, more than 350 Americans have been delayed or denied boarding since the list's inception.

Agencies

MORE FROM REDIFF

WEB STORIES

10 Of Bombay's Oldest Restaurants

Asus TUF Gaming A14 Launched In India

Haier HQLED P7 Pro Series: Get The Deets!

VIDEOS

NEWS BUSINESS MOVIES CRICKET SPORTS GET AHEAD REDIFF-TV REDIFF ASTRO MOBILE RECHARGE BILL PAYMENTS