The United States barred a Mexico City-bound Aeromexico flight from entering U.S. airspace Sunday after authorities learned that a Somali man who has resident status in America — and is also reportedly on a no-fly list — was on board.
Abdirahman Ali Gaall did not resist when he was arrested by Canadian police after the flight, which took off in Paris, was diverted to Montreal. A spokesman for the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada told the AP that Gaal was arrested on an unspecified outstanding warrant.
NBC is reporting that Gaal was the subject of a Department of Homeland Security warning last week to police in Houston to watch out for a suspected member of the Somali group al-Shabaab, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S.
The network reports:
Gaall is a Somali national but holds resident status in the United States, the counterterrorism sources said. His wife is an American citizen, said one official. He did not have the couple’s address in the United States.
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