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In JetBlue no-fly list mistake, toddler removed

A toddler from a family of Middle Eastern descent was removed from a JetBlue flight because of what the airline called a glitch

|
AP
known or suspected terrorists.In this Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011 photo a Jet Blue jet taxis at Boston's Logan International Airport. JetBlue said Tuesday, March 22, 2011, it has formed a partnership with Virgin Atlantic that will allow customers to fly on both airlines with a single ticket.
  • By The Associated Press

| Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

 Officials say an 18-month-old girl was mistakenly pulled off a JetBlue flight before it left Fort Lauderdale because airline employees thought her name was on the US no-fly list.

An airline employee boarded the Newark, N.J.-bound flight before it departed Tuesday evening, telling the family their toddler was on the federal list that includes thousands of known or suspected terrorists.

JetBlue on Thursday blamed the problem on a computer glitch, saying employees were following proper protocol. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration says the girl never was flagged by the agency.

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The child's parents told ABC affiliate WPBF they believe they were targeted because they are of Middle Eastern descent and the mother wears a hijab.

"We were put on display like a circus act because my wife wears a hijab," the baby's father told WPBF. He told the station that he thought his family was profiled because they're of Middle Eastern descent.

The family was cleared to re-board. But they declined, saying they were too embarrassed.

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