Qatari Diplomat A No-Go On United Flights

DENVER (AP) – A Qatari diplomat who created a bomb scare mid-flight earlier this week tried boarding the same airline for his return flight to Washington. United Airlines said, “No.”

United spokesman Mike Trevino says they banned Mohammed Al-Madadi from a United flight Thursday because he violated airline and Federal Aviation Administration policies when he tried smoking on a flight from Washington to Denver Wednesday.

When caught, Al-Madadi’s awkward joke about setting his shoes on fire prompted a bomb scare and an F-16 escort to Denver International Airport.

Officials said the U.S. is not filing charges against the diplomat after receiving assurances from Qatar that Al-Madadi will be sent home.