American Airlines' flight attendant locks ex-FBI agent's wife, son in toilet for causing 'terrorist incident'

A lawsuit has been filed against American Airlines by a woman who alleges that a flight attendant locked her and her 3-year-old son in the restroom and accused her of causing a terrorist incident.

The mishap took place during a flight from Fort Lauderdale to New York, where Yazz Giraldo, her husband Ali Moghaddam (a former FBI agent), and their two children were traveling. Giraldo, who is of Middle Eastern and Latin descent, believes that she was targeted based on her race as she and her husband were speaking Farsi to their toddlers.

According to New York Post, the couple’s lawyer said that Giraldo was undergoing therapy. Moghaddam expressed his concern about the use of the word “terrorism”, considering the sacrifices he has made, and finds it to be a serious accusation that should not be thrown around lightly.

The incident unfolded when both of Giraldo’s children needed to urgently use the toilet, and she tried to take her baby to the first-class washroom closest to their seats at the front of the plane. However, a flight attendant prevented her from doing so without providing any explanation. Giraldo changed her baby’s diaper at the back of the plane where her husband Moghaddam was seated separately. Another flight attendant told her that she could use the nearer toilet and that’s why Giraldo took her son to that lavatory.

The flight attendant who initially prevented Giraldo from using the first-class bathroom tried to intervene, and locked the bathroom door, leaving Giraldo and her son trapped inside. She lost track of time and was in tears, feeling shaken, by the time they were eventually released. Shortly after the incident, a supervisor confronted Giraldo in a public and humiliating manner in front of other passengers. The supervisor alleged that the pilot had to put the plane under terrorist attack warning because of her.

Giraldo believes that she was targeted based on her race and was being retaliated against for challenging the flight attendant’s decision. Moghaddam, who has a background as a former Pennsylvania prosecutor and six years of service in the FBI, was unaware of the incident until they were escorted off the plane by police upon arrival in New York.

He asked to be taken to the FBI substation at the airport, and the officers soon realised that he had prior law enforcement experience. After a brief 15-minute interaction, they let him and his family go.

American Airlines has reportedly responded to the matter. “American strives to provide a positive and welcoming experience to everyone who travels with us, and we take allegations of discrimination very seriously. We are reviewing the details of the lawsuit,” it said.