US removes senior leaders over airline passenger watch list screening program

WASHINGTON, Sept 30 (Reuters) - The Trump administration said Tuesday it is removing five senior leaders over the canceled Transportation Security Administration's "Quiet Skies" aviation security watch list program for allegedly targeting political opponents.

The U.S. Homeland Security Department said it was ending the program in June that designated some air passengers deemed higher risks for enhanced screening. The department said under President Joe Biden the program "systematically watchlisted and denied boarding" to passengers who resisted mask mandates on airplanes and some people tied to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.