An award-winning economics professor was removed from an American Airlines flight on Thursday after his seatmate reported him as a terrorist — based on watching him do math calculations while waiting for take off. Guido Menzio was removed from the plane after it returned to the gate where he was forced to explain to FBI officials that he was doing research, not plotting a terrorist attack. Menzio, who is tenured associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania after stints at Princeton and Stanford, said he was treated “respectfully,†but said that the response to her accusation shows a “broken system does not collect information efficiently.†He added, “What might prevent an epidemic of paranoia? It is hard not to recognize in this incident, the ethos of (Donald) Trump’s voting base.†The professor was allowed to reboard the plane — which took off two hours late — but the woman did not return to the flight.
Source : UPI
