Washington — An American Airlines pilot refused to fly an armed Secret Service agent partly because the Arab-American agent became loud and abusive after his identity was questioned, the airline said Thursday.
But a lawyer representing the member of President Bush's security detail said he had "acted in a cool and professional manner throughout" an hour and 15 minutes of insisting that his badge and photo ID were genuine in the Christmas Day incident.
"The only reason why he was not allowed on that plane is because he is an American of Arab descent," attorney John P. Relman said. "Pure and simple, this is a case of discrimination."
The agent is demanding an apology from American Airlines and civil rights training for its flight crews, Relman said at a news conference. Meanwhile, the pilot has filed a complaint with the Secret Service.
Bush said last week he would be "madder than heck" if a government inquiry found the agent was mistreated because of his ethnicity.
In a written statement, the airline accused the agent's lawyers of "frivolous claims of racial profiling" and "threats of lawsuits."
"American will not allow any armed individual onboard, regardless of who he or she is, if that person is angry or acting in a manner that the crew believes could jeopardize the safety of the flight," the statement said.
The agent's attorneys said he hasn't sought money from American Airlines but hasn't ruled out a lawsuit. If he did receive any money, he would give it to victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, they said.
The agent was scheduled to fly with a government-purchased ticket from Baltimore-Washington International Airport to Waco, Tex., to join the security detail protecting Bush at his ranch in nearby Crawford.
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