newjerseynewsroom.com

BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

The friendly skies are being made safe from babies and senior citizens.

She’s approaching what some folks call the “terrible twos,” but an 18-month old named Riyanna has now been suspected as a terrorist. The scene was at a Ft. Lauderdale airport on Tuesday. Riyanna and her parents had just boarded a JetBlue flight when an airline employee asked them to leave the plane, saying representatives from the Transportation Security Administration wanted to speak to them.

When the child’s mother asked what they wanted to talk anout, the employee said, according to wpbf.com, “It's not you or your husband. Your daughter was flagged as no fly.” The family was kept off the plane for 30 minutes before their daughter received flight clearance.

Jet Blue released a statement saying they believed the mistake came from a computer glitch. According to wpbf.com, their statement said: “Our crewmembers followed the appropriate protocols, and we apologize to the family involved in this unfortunate circumstance."

The ever-vigilant TSA said they did not have the baby on a No Fly list. A TSA spokesman said, according to The Atlantic Wire, “TSA was called to the gate and after talking to the parents and confirming through our vetting system, TSA determined the airline had mistakenly indicated the child was on a government watch list.

The TSA searched a 3-year old in a wheelchair earlier this year, and has been accused of harassing senior citizens on a few occasions in the past.

Riyanna's family claimed they never received an apology and did not board the plane after the incident. The TSA pointed out that people on the No Fly list do not receive boarding passes.

According to Forbes, the parents of the child believe they were being profiled because they are from the Middle East, and Riyanna’s mother wears a hijab, a head covering. The parents asked not to be identified due to concerns.