Stevens takes legal action against US

SINGER Cat Stevens is taking legal action against the United States to discover why he was refused entry into the country.

“We have now initiated a legal process to try to find out exactly what is going on, and to take all necessary steps to undo the very serious, and wholly unfounded, injustice which I have suffered,” a statement from Stevens said.

The musician, who converted to Islam and changed his name to Yusuf Islam in the 1970s, was detained and questioned by the FBI after his Washington-bound flight was diverted on Tuesday. He was then returned to Britain.

The move angered Muslim groups on both sides of the Atlantic and sparked a protest to the US government by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.

Mr Stevens said the most distressing thing was being separated from his daughter, Maymanah, with whom he had been travelling.

“I couldn’t contact my family and they were relegated to watching the whole frightening episode on TV,” the statement said.

US security officials said his name was on a security watch list on national security grounds. Mr Stevens said he was waiting for an explanation from US authorities as to why he was considered a security threat.

The US Department of Homeland Security said Mr Stevens was put on the watch list “because of concerns that about activities that could potentially be related to terrorism”.

However, Mr Stevens yesterday said he had never supported terrorist acts. “I am a man of peace and denounce all forms of terrorism and injustice,” he said.