It sounds like it was paid for by the Swedish government:
Sweden paid for a private jet to fly him to Portland five years after he left.
I'd assume the "no fly list" isn't going to apply to requests from other governments to transport US citizens. I don't think the US is worried about friendly European governments shipping terrorists into the US on private planes.
That is not the case. Flights that don't even intend to land in the US can't enter the airspace of the US if they have someone on board that is a member of the no-fly list.
My theory is that someone in a diplomatic role in Sweden called in a couple favors to handle this. Since his request for asylum in Sweden was denied his visa there was likely to expire soon.
Both TSA officials and FBI Terrorist Screening Center director Timothy Healy confirmed to ABC News last week that the effort to keep U.S. airspace off-limits to terror suspects has not included vetting the passengers and pilots on large private jets such as the one owned by Chagoury, which he has used to shuttle between Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York and Europe.
I'd suspect there are similar loopholes for private jets chartered by friendly governments. But you may be right and someone in the Swedish government called in a favor.
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It sounds like it was paid for by the Swedish government:
I'd assume the "no fly list" isn't going to apply to requests from other governments to transport US citizens. I don't think the US is worried about friendly European governments shipping terrorists into the US on private planes.
That is not the case. Flights that don't even intend to land in the US can't enter the airspace of the US if they have someone on board that is a member of the no-fly list.
My theory is that someone in a diplomatic role in Sweden called in a couple favors to handle this. Since his request for asylum in Sweden was denied his visa there was likely to expire soon.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/terrorism-loophole-fly-list/st...
I'd suspect there are similar loopholes for private jets chartered by friendly governments. But you may be right and someone in the Swedish government called in a favor.
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Not strange if you consider that the no-fly status was really an intimidation tactic.