U.S. bans five Saudi airline pilots
From Jeanne Meserve
CNN Washington Bureau
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States has banned five Saudi Arabian pilots from flying into or otherwise entering the country, a Bush administration official said Wednesday.
The pilots, who work for Saudi Arabian Airlines and regularly flew into the United States, were told in late August that they could no longer enter the United States. The administration official said he was not aware of any appeals.
The official said a check of multiple databases over the summer turned up information that indicated an association between the pilots and known al Qaeda terrorists.
The official said there is no information to indicate the five had been involved in plotting terrorist activity involving aircraft or any other mode of attack, the official said.
Since September 11, 2001, the names of pilots, co-pilots and engineers from some foreign carriers have been checked against watch lists.
Over the summer more intensive reviews involving more databases were performed and these five names "appeared, or appeared several times," the official said.
The United States remains concerned that terrorists could find new ways to repeat the September 11 attacks with commercial airplanes.
Airport security has been tightened in the United States since the attacks but officials fear terrorists could exploit weaknesses elsewhere.
Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security issued an advisory to warn that al Qaeda is working on plans to hijack airliners flying between international points that pass near or over the continental United States. (Full story)
A department official said most of the flights fitting this description originate in Canada and that U.S. officials have been working with Canada over the past month to ensure it is improving screening and other security measures.
