3-month-old British baby questioned by US Embassy for 'terror links'
The family was very surprised that a harmless 3-month-old baby could be seen as a terror threat.
London: The US Embassy in London interviewed three-month-old baby over his ‘ties to terrorists’. The baby was obviously unable to answer anything as he is too young to speak.
According to a report in Daily Mail, the baby, Harvey, was called to the US Embassy after his grandfather, Paul Kenyon, made a mistake in Harvey’s Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) immigration form. He marked ‘yes’ in the slot that asked “do you seek to engage in or have you ever engaged in terrorist activities, espionage, sabotage, or genocide?”
“I had no idea I had made a mistake on the baby's form until Harvey's travel was refused to the USA,” 62-year-old Kenyon said. He had planned to travel to Orlando, Florida, with his family, including Harvey.
However, the family had to make a ten-hour round-trip journey from their home at Poynton in Cheshire to the US embassy in London when Harvey was called for an interview. After this, his visa was delayed and he couldn’t go to Orlando with the family. The baby and his parents had to travel separately days after the rest of the family went to Orlando. Kenyon said that all the trouble cost him £3,000 (USD 3,756) more.
The family was very surprised that a harmless three-month-old baby could be seen as a terror threat. It was all the more absurd that he was actually called to the Embassy and questioned.
“If you are a terrorist - I suspect you'd not be ticking YES on the ESTA form anyway. He’s obviously never engaged in genocide, or espionage, but he has sabotaged quite a few nappies in his time though I didn't tell them that at the US Embassy,” Kenyon added.