Yazz Giraldo: Ex-FBI agent’s wife alleges discrimination after she was locked in American Airlines restroom and accused of terrorism
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Yazz Giraldo, 36, a Middle Eastern woman and wife of former FBI agent Ali Moghaddam, 44, claimed that she was locked inside the restroom of a first-class American Airlines flight and accused of terrorism activities. She said that the discriminatory incident took place while she was flying with her husband and their two young children from Fort Lauderdale to New York for a wedding in September 2022.
As per her lawsuit obtained by the New York Post, Giraldo said that she tried to take her infant daughter to the first-class bathroom but a flight attendant told her she was not allowed to despite “everybody else using it.” She then took her daughter to the rear of the plane where her husband was sitting separately. A second flight attendant then told Giraldo, who was changing her daughter’s diaper, that there was no rule against her using the first-class bathroom that was closer to her seat. However, the woman claims she was locked in when she attempted to use the bathroom again with her three-year-old son.
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Giraldo shared she had to use the first-class restroom after the first incident when her three-year-old son needed to relieve himself. However, she claimed that she was stopped by the flight attendant once again even though her son “was holding himself and he was about to lose it.” Giraldo said she took her son to the bathroom despite the flight attendant’s restriction only to be locked inside. She also claimed that a supervisor yelled at her when she started screaming for help and said he caused the pilot to put the plane under “terrorist attack warning.” The woman alleged that she faced discrimination as she and her husband spoke to their children in Farsi, the publication noted.
‘I was humiliated’
Giraldo spoke to the New York Post about her traumatizing experience and said, “I closed the door, when I’m inside the bathroom I start hearing the noise: ‘Tick, tick, tick,’ [of the door locking].” She shared, “I freaked out. I was already under so much stress. I started to panic, I banged on the door a few times and I said: ‘Let me out of here.’ She was punishing me for challenging her.”
The mother-of-two, who is a former television host, said that she lost track of time in the bathroom and was left “shaking” and “crying” before being released. “I was humiliated,” Giraldo added. She went on to claim that a supervisor approached her after her release and said that the “pilot decided to put the plane under terrorist attack warning” because of her. Giraldo claimed the supervisor screamed at her when she tried to explain the situation. “I immediately knew it was racism. I immediately knew I was being discriminated against.”
‘You don’t throw that around’
Giraldo’s husband, who served six years in the FBI, said that he was unaware of the situation and did not know about the incident until the family was escorted off the plane in New York. Moghaddam said he requested officials to take his family to the FBI substation. The family was released 15 minutes after authorities learned that Moghaddam had a background in law enforcement background.
“I dedicated about a decade of my life to public service, to protect the community. Joint Terrorism Task Force, undercover, SWAT, all of this … for my family to be labeled as terrorist and be marched off a plane just because we want to change a diaper?” Moghaddam asked while speaking to the outlet. “For me, there’s certain terms that have a history and connotation that is very negative. That word terrorism is unique, especially considering all my sacrifices… you don’t throw that around,” he added.
Giraldo’s lawyer Jitesh Dudani told the publication that the former has started going to therapy after the incident. He also mentioned that the family of four, who were once frequent flyers, are now fearful of boarding a plane.
American Airlines also issued a statement addressing the incident and said, “American strives to provide a positive and welcoming experience to everyone who travels with us and we take allegations of discrimination very seriously. We are reviewing the details of the lawsuit.”
