Man speaking in Tamil misses flight after security alert

WASHINGTON: A Tamil-speaking man in the US missed his flight from Seattle over the weekend because at least one person thought he was suspicious.

According to a report in 'Seattle Post Intelligencer,' the man was speaking Tamil and some English in a conversation over his cellphone about a sporting rivalry when getting ready to board an American Airlines flight to Dallas' Fort Worth International Airport.

An off-duty airline employee heard the conversation and alerted the flight crew.

"It's a big misunderstanding," said Bob Parker, the Airport Spokesman.

"He had a perfectly innocent explanation that all added up" the Spokesman said noting that it was mandatory on airport officials to investigate reports of suspicious activity.

The man was supposed to be talking of a sporting rivalry involving his alma mater. "It's hard to triage over the phone," he has said.

Parker had no explanation as to why a man speaking Tamil would be considered suspicious. The person who contacted airport officials could give an answer to that question, he added.

The detained person was said to be cooperative and later boarded a flight to Texas.

He reportedly told airport officials that he will not speak a foreign language on his cellphone at an airport in the future.