Southwest is sued by Arabic speaker who was removed from plane

Southwest was sued Tuesday by an American citizen who came to the US as an Iraqi refugee, and said he was removed from a California flight after another passenger became unnerved upon hearing him speak in Arabic. Khairuldeen Makhzoomi said he is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for civil rights violations, discrimination and emotional distress stemming from the "Islamophobia" underlying the April 2016 incident, which began as he awaited takeoff to Oakland from Los Angeles. Southwest had no immediate comment. Makhzoomi said he had been seated and talking with his uncle by phone, after attending a dinner featuring United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, when two police officers and a Southwest employee removed him from the plane. <br/>