Man fights to have name erased from U.S. no-fly list: Knowledge Driven Revolution

Seven months after a Mississauga man was detained in Mexico when his name mistakenly appeared on a U.S. no-fly list, he still feels like he can't board a plane — even though the RCMP have since cleared him.

Sami Kahil refuses to fly for fear he may be detained again. In January, the Lebanese-Canadian was pulled off a flight from Toronto to Mexico, then detained overnight in a Mexican jail before he was returned to Canada with a police escort.

A newspaper reported that court documents linked Kahil to Hezbollah, but he repeatedly denied any involvement with the Lebanese militant group.

One month ago, the 38-year-old was visited by two RCMP officers, who showed up at his door, showed their badges and asked if he had ever been to Panama. Kahil told them he hadn't.

Soon after, the officers informed Kahil his name had been cleared and chalked up the incident to a case of mistaken identity, Kahil said.

But they urged him to speak with American authorities to ensure his name didn't pop up every time he tries to fly through U.S. airspace.

33,000 trying to get names off no-fly list

Kahil has appealed to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, a special office that handles complaints from passengers whose names are on the no-fly list, to have his name removed.

TSA spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said 33,000 people have applied to get their names off the no-fly list, a process that could take time.

"The redress process can take up to several weeks," she said. "We will work to clear up any instances of mistaken identification and get that traveller on a cleared list."

The office began compiling the no-fly list in November 2001 with data from the FBI and CIA to keep terrorism suspects off flights and block them from entering the country.

There has been criticism of the list because it has included the names of innocent passengers due to similar and misspelled names. Those barred have included infants and American politicians.

Until his name is erased from the list, Kahil is avoiding any air travel.

"I have no desire to fly until I get my clearance," he said. "I don't want to have this ordeal happen again. I don't want to take any more chances."

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HOME V for Vendetta - R for Reality Canadian Bird Flu Pandemic Looming ? Shill of the Week: Stephan Harper Aspartame: The Sweetest Killer Chicken Little Terrorist of the Week: Creating Fake Terrorists Shill of the Week: Paul Martin The Number 1 Reason YOU became a Slave	Man fights to have name erased from U.S. no-fly list CBC News August 28, 2006 Seven months after a Mississauga man was detained in Mexico when his name mistakenly appeared on a U.S. no-fly list, he still feels like he can't board a plane — even though the RCMP have since cleared him. Sami Kahil refuses to fly for fear he may be detained again. In January, the Lebanese-Canadian was pulled off a flight from Toronto to Mexico, then detained overnight in a Mexican jail before he was returned to Canada with a police escort. A newspaper reported that court documents linked Kahil to Hezbollah, but he repeatedly denied any involvement with the Lebanese militant group. One month ago, the 38-year-old was visited by two RCMP officers, who showed up at his door, showed their badges and asked if he had ever been to Panama. Kahil told them he hadn't. Soon after, the officers informed Kahil his name had been cleared and chalked up the incident to a case of mistaken identity, Kahil said. But they urged him to speak with American authorities to ensure his name didn't pop up every time he tries to fly through U.S. airspace. 33,000 trying to get names off no-fly list Kahil has appealed to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, a special office that handles complaints from passengers whose names are on the no-fly list, to have his name removed. TSA spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said 33,000 people have applied to get their names off the no-fly list, a process that could take time. "The redress process can take up to several weeks," she said. "We will work to clear up any instances of mistaken identification and get that traveller on a cleared list." The office began compiling the no-fly list in November 2001 with data from the FBI and CIA to keep terrorism suspects off flights and block them from entering the country. There has been criticism of the list because it has included the names of innocent passengers due to similar and misspelled names. Those barred have included infants and American politicians. Until his name is erased from the list, Kahil is avoiding any air travel. "I have no desire to fly until I get my clearance," he said. "I don't want to have this ordeal happen again. I don't want to take any more chances." Read the full article here Broken Link? If the link to the original article is broken or has been altered you can view the article by clicking here. About KDR \| \| Home \| \| Weekly Features Archive	Weekly Features Archive
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