A Muslim-American woman plans to announce a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines for discrimination because she was removed from a plane by federal security agents.
Irum Abbasi of San Diego was on a flight from San Diego to San Jose in March when she was asked to get off the plane just before takeoff.
Abbasi, who was wearing headscarf, was talking on her cell phone when she said, "I've got to go” but a Southwest flight attendant thought she said "It's a go."
The mother of three is a Pakistani immigrant who's lived in the U.S. for a decade. She was taken off the plane, briefly examined by TSA agents and placed on the next flight.
“I was in tears,” Abbasi said at a news conference just days after the incident.
“They said 'We know you're clear but we cannot let you go on this flight because they are not willing to accept you,'” she said.
The airline later apologized. Abbasi has said she wants the crew disciplined.
Local
A San Diego State University graduate student, Abbasi was heading to San Jose to finish some research her Masters degree in psychology at San Jose State. She said she regularly makes the trip from San Diego to the Bay Area because she takes care of children during the week.
