A video has gone viral on social media, which users purport shows a participant in the storming of the Capitol finding out that he has been placed on the no-fly list.
The head of a flight attendants union has suggested that airlines should ban the rioters, and Rep. Bennie Thompson has urged “the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to use their authorities to add the names of all identified individuals involved in the attack to the federal No-Fly List and keep them off planes.” However, it’s not clear such a step has been taken, and the only known instance of an airline banning participants in the riot came after 14 rioters flying home from Washington, D.C., were “non-mask compliant, rowdy, argumentative” and harassed crew members on an Alaska Airlines flight.
The viral video lacks sufficient information to determine what is happening in it or where it occurred. The video originated on TikTok, where the woman who uploaded it included the caption: “Homeboy had a full toddler level meltdown bc he was told to wear a mask.” There is no current evidence to suggest that the man in the video was kicked off of his flight because he was part of the riots in D.C.. Had he been placed on the no-fly list, the man wouldn’t have even been allowed to board the plane, as his status on the list would have been confirmed well before that step in travelling. No-fly list screening “takes place prior to the passenger’s arrival at the checkpoint. Individuals known to pose a threat to aviation who are on the No Fly list will not be issued a boarding pass and are not allowed to fly,” according to a statement shared with The Dispatch Fact Check by R. Carter Langston, media relations manager for the TSA.
If you have a claim you would like to see us fact check, please send us an email at factcheck@thedispatch.com. If you would like to suggest a correction to this piece or any other Dispatch article, please email corrections@thedispatch.com.
Please note that we at The Dispatch hold ourselves, our work, and our commenters to a higher standard than other places on the internet. We welcome comments that foster genuine debate or discussion—including comments critical of us or our work—but responses that include ad hominem attacks on fellow Dispatch members or are intended to stoke fear and anger may be moderated.
You are currently using a limited time guest pass and do not have access to commenting. Consider subscribing to join the conversation.
With your membership, you only have the ability to comment on The Morning Dispatch articles. Consider upgrading to join the conversation everywhere.