Spelling Mistake To Blame for Cat Stevens Terror Scare

"Yusuf Islam, the British singer formerly known as Cat Stevens, was refused entry into America because of a spelling error. The 57-year-old singing star - who abandoned a successful solo career in 1977 to become a Muslim - was on a flight from London to Washington on Tuesday when his name was spotted on a US security 'watch list' and his flight was diverted before officials deported him back to Britain. Aviation sources, with access to the "no-fly" list, now insist there is no entry on the list under the name 'Yusuf Islam', but that there is a 'Youssouf Islam' on the list. The US Transportation Safety Administration alleges that Islam has links to terrorist groups, which he has denied. In a statement Islam says, "We have now initiated a legal process to try to find out exactly what is going on, and to take all necessary steps to undo the very serious, and wholly unfounded, injustice which I have suffered. The amazing thing is that I was not given, and have still not been given, any explanation whatsoever as to what it is I am accused of, or why I am now deemed an apparent security threat - let alone given an opportunity to respond to these allegations. I was simply told that the order had come from on high."