Foreign airline crew members found to have possible terrorist connections

Airline Industry Information, June 30, 2004

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2004 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Government background checks of foreign airline crew members flying into the US found possible terrorist connections.

Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary for border and transportation security, said the agency reviewed the backgrounds of all 450,000 foreign crew members that flew into the country since March and identified nine pilots with potential ties to terrorists. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has now barred all nine pilots from flying into the country.

Two additional flight crew members were found to have fraudulent passports and another had a criminal record of assault on a law enforcement officer. They have also been barred from flying into the US, reported The Associated Press.

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