Man returned to France after U.S. refuses entry
Officials: Traveler appeared on no-fly list
(CNN) -- A traveler departed on a flight to France Sunday after authorities refused him entry to the United States, a spokesman for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.
Authorities identified the traveler as being on a so-called no-fly list on Saturday, and diverted his Paris-to-Washington flight to Bangor, Maine, where it was met by federal officials, the Transportation Security Administration said.
The man was taken off the plane, and another man traveling with him chose to depart the aircraft. The Air France flight then proceeded to Washington Dulles International Airport without the two men, who spent the night in Bangor's Penobscot County Jail.
Sgt. Steven Slowik, shift supervisor at the jail, identified the men as Ahmed Lhacti, 47, and Mohammad Oukassou, 76, both Moroccan.
Slowik said federal authorities had not told jail officials which man was on the no-fly list, or why.
U.S. authorities use no-fly lists to screen suspected terrorists from flying on airlines. Due to mistaken identity, some travelers have been wrongly denied permission to fly or to enter the United States.
While the men were being processed in Bangor, agents determined that the man on the no-fly list was traveling with an expired passport, and he was denied entry, said Barry Morrissey with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The man's apparent traveling companion chose to return to Paris with him Sunday.
A TSA spokeswoman said Saturday that Air France should not have allowed the passenger to board the flight to the United States while in Paris.
