French hunt airline Al-Qaida suspect

FRENCH police are hunting a suspected al-Qaida operative who had booked on an Air France flight to the US on Christmas Eve but failed to turn up.

In London, Transport Department officials refused to comment when asked if the cancellations of BA transatlantic flights were connected to the French hunt for an Afghan who is on the US terrorism watch list.

French Justice minister Dominique Perben said: “I confirm that we are looking for someone, but I can’t say more. What’s important when someone doesn’t take a plane is to know why he didn’t take it.”