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Old August 20th, 2004, 01:19 PM
George
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Default Secret no-fly list had Kennedy on it

Terror no-fly list singled out Kennedy
Senator was stopped 5 times at airports

- Sara Kehaulani Goo, Washington Post
Friday, August 20, 2004

Washington -- Sen. Edward "Ted" Kennedy said Thursday that he was
stopped and questioned at airports on the East Coast five times in
March because his name appeared on the government's secret "no-fly"
list.

Federal air security officials said the initial error that led to
scrutiny of the Massachusetts Democrat should not have happened even
though they recognize that the no-fly list is imperfect. But privately
they acknowledged being embarrassed that it took the senator and his
staff more than three weeks to get his name removed.

A senior administration official, who spoke on condition he not be
identified, said Kennedy was stopped because the name "T. Kennedy" has
been used as an alias by someone on the list of terrorist suspects.

While he worked to clear himself, Kennedy kept having to wait in the
terminal at Washington's Reagan National, Boston's Logan International
and at least one other airport, his staff said. All the flights were
on US Airways.

When the senator checked in at the counter, airline employees told him
they could not issue him a boarding pass because he appeared on the
list. Kennedy was delayed until a supervisor could be summoned to
identify him and give approval for him.

Kennedy's description of his air travel troubles -- mentioned during a
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday on the 9/11 panel's
recommendations -- gave new life to questions about the quality and
effectiveness of the no-fly list. Security, intelligence and law
enforcement agencies established the list after the 2001 terrorist
attacks. Critics said the senator's experience served as the latest
example of how a system designed to improve security is instead
targeting innocent travelers.

The government does not make public the names or total number of
people on the list, which officials say is constantly updated.
According to FBI documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties
Union under a Freedom of Information Act request, more than 350
Americans have been delayed or denied boarding since the list's
inception. The list hasn't led to any arrests, officials said.

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit on behalf of
six Americans who have had experiences similar to Kennedy's.

"That a clerical error could lend one of the most powerful people in
Washington to the list -- it makes one wonder just how many others who
are not terrorists are on the list," said Reggie Shuford, a senior
ACLU counsel. "Someone of Sen. Kennedy's stature can simply call a
friend to have his name removed, but a regular American citizen does
not have that ability. He had to call three times himself."

A Kennedy aide said the senator nearly missed a couple of flights
because of the delays. After the first few incidents, his staff called
the Transportation Security Administration, which maintains the no-fly
list. But even after those discussions about getting his name removed,
the senator was stopped again, according to Kennedy spokesman David
Smith.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge finally called to personally
apologize about the mix-up, and the delays stopped in early April,
Smith said.

TSA spokesman Mark Hatfield said the no-fly system occasionally causes
problems because the airlines are responsible for flagging passengers
who show up on the list.

"Administration of the list clearly needs to be changed and
consolidated to be government-managed," Hatfield said. "This points
out the weakness in having the names checked against passengers at
hundreds of different airlines at thousands of different airline
counters across the country."

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