Kennedy stopped at airports after mix-up over terror suspects list

A US government official has apologised to Senator Edward Kennedy, who was stopped at airports because a name similar to his appeared on the government’s no-fly list of terror suspects.

“If they have that kind of difficulty with a member of Congress, how in the world are average Americans, who are getting caught up in this thing, how are they going to be treated fairly and not have their rights abused?” Mr Kennedy asked Homeland Security undersecretary Asa Hutchinson.

The Massachusetts Democrat said he was stopped five times as he tried to board US Airways shuttles between Washington and Boston because a name similar to his appeared on a list for screening.

Mr Hutchinson, who apologised for “any inconvenience” to the senator, gave evidence yesterday to the Senate Judiciary Committee on the need for the federal government to take over the watch lists, which are currently administered by the airlines.

Mr Kennedy said he was stopped at airports in Washington, DC, and Boston three times in March.

Airline agents told him he would not be sold a ticket because his name was on a screening list. Each time, a supervisor recognised the brother of murdered President John F Kennedy and got him on the flight.

But after the third incident, Kennedy’s staff called the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to clear up the confusion.

The TSA said a name similar to Mr Kennedy’s was on the watch list, and that he was later flagged to go through screening. It also said that the airlines did not handle the matter properly.

But twice after contacting TSA, Kennedy was stopped again at the airline counter.