Muslim media influencer Amani al-Khatahtbeh claimed Saturday she was kicked off an American Airlines flight in Newark, New Jersey, because another passenger "felt uncomfortable" following a heated verbal exchange at the TSA security line.
Al-Khatahtbeh, founder of the website Muslim Girl, was undergoing a standard security screening Saturday morning at Newark International Airport before boarding a flight to Charlotte, North Carolina, she tweeted, saying she had the "craziest experience" and was deeply disturbed by it.
"An entitled white man behind me insisted on cutting me in line because I was 'still taking my shoes off,'" she tweeted. "When I said he could wait like everyone else, he started going off about how he’s 'pre check' and 'first class.'"
When she protested to the man and security agents, she was told to "cut it out," said al-Khatahtbeh, who launched an unsuccessful bid earlier this year to represent New Jersey's 6th congressional district.
Later, after boarding her flight, al-Khatahtbeh was allegedly removed from the airplane because the other passenger "felt uncomfortable."
"The last 6 hours of my life have been draining & traumatizing," she tweeted.
American Airlines responded to at least one of her tweets, saying the airline was concerned about happened. American Airlines said in a statement that it was aware "an incident took place."
"We are concerned by these allegations and our team is working to understand what occurred," the company said in the statement.
