A French woman claims that she was prevented from flying and added to the US ‘no-fly list’ because her name sounds like al-Qaeda.
Aida Alic, 33, was prevented from boarding her flight from Geneva to New York earlier this week, and told by Swiss airline staff that the US authorities had barred her entry form the US, but she was not given a reason why.
After missing out on their holiday, Alic returned home with her family to the French Alps, and scoured the official US travel sites for a reason as to why she had been blacklisted.
Recounting her story to Le Dauphiné Libéré, Alic said that the only conclusion that she could come with was that she was banned because her name when written in her passport as “Alic Aida” sounds a little like al-Qaeda.
US authorities have said that they do not comment on specific cases of individuals on the no-fly list.
