Imams Removed From US Airways Flight For Suspicious Behavior

Six imams charge that they were unjustifiably removed yesterday from a US Airways flight that they had just boarded in Minneapolis. They were handcuffed and questioned by police and FBI agents before eventually being cleared. The Arizona Republic reports that the imams prayed in the airport waiting area before boarding the plane. On the plane, two of the imams asked for seat belt extensions, and one of them offered to give up his first class seat to another of the imams who was blind. All of this led a passenger to pass a note to a flight attendant saying the imams were acting suspiciously. Eventually the pilot, after conferring with ground personnel, decided that the imams should be removed from the flight. The Islamic civil rights group, CAIR, called for an investigation of the incident, and US Airways said it is looking into what happened.