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British Prime Minister David Cameron |
British Prime Minister David Cameron has been asked to intervene in the case of a Muslim family who allege they were prevented by U.S. officials from boarding a flight to Los Angeles earlier this month.
Mohammad Tariq Mahmood told The Guardian that his party of 11 people, including nine children, had been granted authorization to travel ahead of their planned Dec. 15 flight to Los Angeles from London's Gatwick Airport.
However, he said he was approached by U.S. Homeland Security officials in the departure lounge and informed that the group's authorization to travel on the flight had been canceled. Mahmood said the officials did not give any further explanation.
"It's because of the attacks on America," Mahmood told the Guardian. "They think every Muslim poses a threat."
The Department of Homeland Security has not made any public comment on the case.
Mahmood said the family had planned to visit relatives in Southern California and visit Disneyland and Universal Studios. He added that the airline, Norwegian Air, had refused to refund the cost of the trip, which totaled more than $13,000.
Stella Creasy, the Member of Parliament for the family's constituency in northeast London, claimed in a letter to Cameron that a lack of information from US authorities about why they were prevented from travelling is fuelling resentment within British Muslim communities.
"It is not just the family themselves who are livid," Creasy wrote. "The vacuum created by a refusal to provide any context for these decisions is fuelling resentment and debate."
A Downing Street spokesman told Sky News that Cameron"would consider the issues raised and respond in due course."
A spokesman for the U.K.'s Home Office, the rough equivalent of the Homeland Security Department added: "It would be the airline that would stop passengers travelling rather than the border force."
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