US deports Cat Stevens

Pop singer Cat Stevens, who converted to Islam in the 1970s and is now known as Yusuf Islam, left the US Wednesday for London after being denied entry because he was on several government watch lists, report agencies quoting US officials.

Islam was admitted into the country in May but Department of Homeland Security officials said they placed him on the no-fly list in July, barring him from entry, after government agencies received fresh intelligence related to what they said were his charitable contributions to groups with terrorist ties, said The Washington Post

"Yusuf Islam has been placed on government watch lists because of concerns of ties he may have to potential terrorist-related activities," the Post quoted Homeland Security spokesman Brian Roehrkasse as saying.

"More

recently, the intelligence community has received information that further heightens this concern. Our job at Homeland Security is to act upon the information we receive through the intelligence community in order to keep those that might be of harm to national security out of our country."

According to the Post, Islam, who lives in Britain, was aboard a London-to-Washington flight Tuesday with his daughter when it was diverted to Bangor, Maine. He was expecting to head on to Japan, a US official said.

His daughter continued aboard the United Airlines flight to Washington while Islam remained detained in Bangor by US Customs and Border Protection officials. Yesterday, said the Post, Islam was flown to Dulles International Airport, where he was put on a United Airlines flight for London.