Brit going home after ‘no-fly’ list had him trapped in Toronto
Dawood Hepplewhite, 30, a self-employed auto mechanic in Sheffield, England, identifies himself as a white Muslim. He ran afoul of the air rules while attempting to fly home Sunday with his Canadian wife and their three children, ages 1, 3 and 5.
He says Air Transat flagged his passport and turned him away. The same thing happened when he tried to fly on Air Canada and British Airways.
He has been in Toronto since Oct. 29 visiting his wife, who was raised in Toronto and was trying to sponsor him so they could live together in Canada. He has travelled to Toronto several times in the past year. His visitor’s visa was to expire April 29.
A call from the British Embassy came Wednesday afternoon.
“The British government stepped up and did their part,” said his wife, Farhi, 26. “They said, ‘We have a one-time offer for you. We have a ticket for you tonight to take you to Glasgow. Do you want it or not?’ ”
Air Transat has confirmed the family will be flown to Glasgow and ground arrangements will be made to get them to Sheffield.
“I’m shocked. This happened so quickly,” Farhi said.
Pierre Tessier, spokesman for Air Transat, said three different airlines, including Air Transat, made the same decision “in light of the circumstances.”
However, a lingering question remains. Why was Hepplewhite’s name on the no-fly list, or was it a case of mistaken identity?
“At the beginning, people (in government) were telling us there was nothing we could do, that they couldn’t override the law,” his wife said. “They were washing their hands of it.”
Earlier in the day, her husband told the Star he felt “imprisoned” in Toronto after he was denied a flight on Sunday.
Hepplewhite believes he has been put on the U.S. no-fly list because about three years ago, he applied for a teaching position in Yemen, considered a breeding ground for terrorism. He later abandoned the idea after he was pulled aside by police in England.
“I’m just a family guy. I go to work and go home,” Hepplewhite said. “I’ve never been in any groups. The only thing I can see is that I am a white Muslim.”
He says the airlines have told him that although their flight path to England does not go over U.S. air space, there is the possibility their planes could land in the U.S. during an emergency.
Sukanya Pillay, director of the national security program for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, says this case raises several questions.
“One issue for us is whether Canadian airlines are already participating in the U.S. Secure Flight program for overflights. We’re looking into that. Also we are concerned about fairness issues for people who believe they are wrongly placed on a no-fly list.”
Hepplewhite said he won’t come back to Toronto until he is sure his name is cleared from the list.
U.S., British and Canadian authorities would not comment on the specifics of the case.
