A passenger said the man refused to sit down after he left his seat and stood in the rear of United Airlines Flight 9 to San Francisco to say a prayer before takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport, WABC-TV, New York reported.

Passenger Ori Brafman said two of the man's friends tried explaining that he had to complete his prayer before stopping and it would take him about two minutes to finish.

The man reportedly explained that he did not intend to have bad manners, but could not cut his religious ritual short.

Brafman said the flight attendants then called guards to take the man off the plane.

United Airlines spokeswoman Robin Urbanski said it is vital that passengers follow the flight crew's directions so planes can take off safely.