Posts Tagged ‘aeromexico’

Man In Flight Grounding Incident Faces Loss of U.S. Residency

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010


The man whose presence on the U.S. no-fly list forced a transatlantic flight to reroute to Montreal is to face proceedings to strip him of his U.S. residency status and send him back to his native Somalia, U.S. officials say.The decision to deal with Abdirahman Ali Gaal on immigration technicalities raises questions as to whether there was any substance to the terrorism fears that led to the rapid and drastic precautions taken in the case against him.

Relatives of the man describe him as a hapless, though politically outspoken, taxi cab driver, a father of five who had recently sojourned to West Africa to study Islam.Immigration law experts suggest that, despite the strange optics of his unusually quick removal, his transfer from Canada to the United States could have been done in compliance with all laws.The case against Mr. Gaal, currently at the Clinton County jail in upstate New York, is playing out with the rapidity of a daily soap opera.

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Man Removed from Aeromexico Flight Sent To U.S.

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010


The passenger removed from an Aeromexico flight diverted to Montreal has been sent to the U.S., American officials say.

Abdirahman Ali Gaal was removed from the flight bound for Mexico City from Paris on Sunday at the request of U.S. officials.

“Mr. Gaal, a legal permanent resident, was returned to the United States were he is currently being questioned by DHS,” Matt Chandler, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement Tuesday.

Chandler declined to provide any additional information on the case.

Gaal, who according to the Globe and Mail, is a native of Somalia in his 30s, was being held in custody in Montreal pending a detention review hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning.

But an official with the Canadian Border Services Agency confirmed Tuesday that the hearing had been cancelled.

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Man Held in Montreal From Diverted Flight Is Terror Suspect

Monday, May 31st, 2010

Targeting Terrorism

NBC News reports the man removed from an Aeromexico flight bound for Mexico City Sunday was the subject of a terror warning issued for the U.S.-Mexico border last week, senior U.S. counterterrorism officials told NBC News on Monday.

Homeland Security had asked law enforcement in Houston to be on the lookout for a suspected member of al-Shabaab, an al-Qaida ally based in Somalia, early last week, the sources said.

The man was thought to be headed for the United States via Mexico.

On Sunday, an Aeromexico flight from Paris was diverted to Montreal, where the man was detained.

Canadian authorities on Monday identified the man as Abdirahman Ali Gaall and that he would have his first court hearing on Wednesday.

Gaall is a Somali national but holds resident status in the United States, the counterterrorism sources said. His wife is an American citizen, said one official. He did not have the couple’s address in the United States.

The Canada Border Services Agency confirmed Monday that Gaall was on a U.S. no-fly list and said the man was known to them.
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Note: Currently, it does not appear that this is same individual mentioned in the KHOU news report from 2 weeks ago.

In that report, KHOU reported that a Homeland Security Alert was asking Houston police to keep their eyes open for a potential terror suspect, however that alert focused on a man identified as Mohamed Ali, also a suspected member of the terrorist group Al Shabaab. It indicated he may be traveling to the U.S. through Mexico.

Source

Mexico-USA Flights See Increased Security Measures

Monday, September 21st, 2009

Mexican federal police will intensify security measures on flights inbound to the United States from Mexico at the request of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to press reports in Mexico.

Under the new measures, Carry-on luggage as well as regular baggage will be thoroughly checked twice, as will boarding tickets.

Read Full Article (Translated)

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Cancun – Aeromexico Jet Hijacked, Flown To Mexico City

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

UPDATE: Aeromexico Flight 576: Mexican security forces have boarded the hijacked plane and taken 5-7 suspects into custody.

Cancun – Mexican Plane Reportedly Hijacked Flown To Mexico City.

All passengers have left an AeroMexico passenger plane that was hijacked at the airport in the resort area city of Cancun and flown to the airport in the capital of Mexico City.

The hijacked plane, a Boeing 737, landed safely and is on the runway at the airport, according to Mexico’s Transport Minister Juan Molinar. Mexican security forces are at the airport.

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Related Articles

  • Aeromexico Passenger Arrested After U.S. Refuses Flight Access To Airspace (huffingtonpost.com)
  • Analysis: U.S. airlines seen benefiting from Mexicana meltdown (reuters.com)
  • Mexico City Bound Flight Diverted to Arrest Man (foxnews.com)