Imams drop case against air travelers

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Six Muslim imams have dropped their U.S. lawsuit against passengers who reported their behavior as suspicious and led to their removal from a plane.

The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota was altered to dismiss the unnamed passengers, however, it still criticizes US Airways and Minneapolis airport workers for the way they handled the incident, the Washington Times said Thursday.

Gerry Nolting, a lawyer who represents one of the passengers, said the dismissal demonstrates they "were doing nothing but their important duty as airline travelers to report suspicious behavior to the appropriate authorities."

Passengers and the flight crew said the imams were disruptive and formed a seating pattern similar to one assumed by the Sept. 11, 2001 hijackers on the Nov. 20 flight to Phoenix.

The men were also heard condemning the war in Iraq and President Bush and discussing al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden.

The men were escorted off the flight, handcuffed briefly, then searched and questioned for several hours by airport police and members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Neither the imams nor their lawyers issued a public statement regarding their motion to dismiss the passengers, The Times said.