A group of 40 Michigan Muslims said they were victims of profiling recently when they were not allowed to board a Northwest Airlines flight on their way home from Saudi Arabia.

A Northwest spokesman said the travelers reported to the gate Jan. 7 in Frankfurt, Germany only about 20 minutes before their connecting flight was to depart. Rules stipulate that passengers must check in for international flights at least an hour beforehand and be onboard at least 30 minutes before departure.

But the Muslim pilgrims and an advocacy group said flight rules are at least the third explanation the airline has given for the incident. Imam Sayed Hassan al-Qazwini said the pilgrims arrived plenty early and watched others admitted aboard the plane. [Link]