BANGOR, Maine, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- The singer formerly known as Cat Stevens was denied entry into the United States Tuesday night and will be flown back to England Wednesday.
The name of Yusuf Islam, 56, came up on a computerized Homeland Security watch list after the Boeing 747 had left London's Heathrow Airport Tuesday. United Airlines Flight 919 was ordered diverted to Bangor, Maine, where Islam was detained and other passengers screened. The flight continued on to Washington six hours late, CNN reported.
A government official said Islam, now a British citizen, was on the watch list because of "known associations and financial support to organizations believed to be aiding terrorism."
One administration official said the singer had been in the United States as recently as May and was a recent addition to the list.
As Cat Stevens, Islam had a string of folk-rock hits in the 1960s and early 1970s, including "Peace Train," "Morning has Broken" and "Wild World."
