Controversial musician Morrissey is now comparing the Transportation Security Administration to the Islamic State, after his complaint about being groped by airport security at San Francisco International Airport was ignored.
The former Smiths frontman, now 56, claimed in an official complaint that he had been groped by an airport security guard last July as he prepared to board a British Airways flight to London from San Francisco.
“TSA have ignored my official and legal and constitutional complaint. From this we gather that TSA stands for Thorough Sexual Assault,” Morrissey wrote on the fan website True to You on Tuesday.
“If you are traveling through San Francisco International Airport you must be ready for a full sexual attack by people who claim to have your interests at heart,” he wrote.
The indie singer then added: “It is unlikely that ISIS would stoop so low.”
In a blog post in July, Morrissey recalled flying from San Francisco to London on July 27, and alleged that following regular security protocols, including a metal detector screening with “no bleeps and nothing unusual,” he was sexually molested:
Before I could gather my belongings from the usual array of trays I was approached by an “airport security officer” who stopped me, crouched before me and groped my penis and testicles. He quickly moved away as an older “airport security officer” approached.
The officer who sexually assaulted me was identified as the General Manager On Duty. Luckily I was accompanied by two members of British Airways Special Services, who were horrified at the sexual attack and suggested that I lodge a complaint.
The singer later wrote in the same post, “What is clear is that, should you find yourself traveling through San Francisco International Airport, you should expect sexual abuse from the so-called ‘security officers’ who, we are unconvincingly warned, are acting only for our security.”
In a statement, Transportation Safety Administration spokesman Mike England later denied the accused officer was guilty of any wrongdoing.
“Upon review of closed-circuit TV footage, TSA determined that the supervised officer followed standard operating procedures in the screening of this individual,” said England.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.