December 29, 2001	Saturday	Shawwal 13, 1422

CRAWFORD, Dec 28: US President George W. Bush said on Friday he would be “madder than heck” if it turns out an Arab-American agent charged with his safety was removed from a US airliner because of this ethnicity.

“There’s an inquiry going on as to specifically what took place. But if he was treated that way because of his ethnicity, that will make me madder than heck,” Bush told reporters outside his ranch here.

The president said he had spoken to the Arab-American US Secret Service agent earlier in the day, telling him “how proud I was that he was by my side. He’s here on the ranch, and he’s guarding me.”

The US Secret Service, which is responsible for US presidents’ security, said on Thursday it had launched an inquiry into why the agent, coming here to protect Bush, was barred from an American Airlines flight.

A pilot for the airline had the armed agent removed from a flight heading from Baltimore, Maryland to Dallas, Texas, Secret Service spokesman Brian Marr said.

Earlier, the New York Times reported that, once seated, the agent was confronted by airline security personnel and asked to exit the plane and submit to additional security checks.

The daily said the agent was questioned for 75 minutes by the flight’s pilot, airline officials and airport police and barred from the flight even though he offered to have the Secret Service confirm his identify.—AFP