- Robert O’Neill, the former Marine SEAL famous for his role in the robbery that killed Osama bin Laden, was banned Thursday by Delta Air Lines for refusing to wear a mask on a flight the day before.
- O’Neill tweeted a maskless selfie on Wednesday with the caption, “I’m not a p —-.” He deleted the tweet five hours later.
- On Thursday, he tweeted that the airline had banned him.
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A former Marine SEAL famous for his part in the robbery that killed Osama bin Laden was banned by Delta Air Lines after he refused to wear a mask on board a flight and bragged about it on Twitter.
Robert O’Neill, who says he fired the shot that killed Laden during the 2011 robbery, was on board a flight on Wednesday when he tweeted a selfie titled “I’m not a p —- . ” Unlike another passenger in a U.S. Marine Corps hat and a plane pictured, O’Neill was not wearing a mask.
Screenshot / Twitter
Delta requires passengers to wear masks at the airport and on all flights, unless they are fast food or drink. The airline also said it would ban passengers who refuse to wear the face mask.
O’Neill, who left the Navy in 2012 and works as a public speaker and employee of Fox News, deleted the tweet after about five hours. A Delta spokesman confirmed that the airline was investigating the incident, but declined to comment on specifications.
On Thursday, O’Neill tweeted again, saying Delta banned him.
“I’m just banned from @Delta for posting a photo,” he tweeted. “Wow.”
Screenshot / Twitter
A Delta spokesman confirmed O’Neill’s ban.
“Part of every customer’s commitment prior to traveling on Delta is the requirement to recognize our updated travel policy, which includes wearing a mask,” spokesman Anthony Black told Business Insider in an email. “Failure of our mask wearing mandate could result in the loss of the ability to fly Delta in the future.”
The airline recently strengthened its mask policy, requiring anyone seeking a medical exemption to consult with a Delta-contracted telehealth medical professional before boarding.
“Any false claim of a disability as to health status to obtain an exemption from wearing a mask or face mask may result in the suspension of travel privileges on each Delta flight for the duration of the mask / face cover requirement,” he said. the airline when it announced the plan.
The airline has already banned more than 100 people for refusing to comply with the mask requirements, CEO Ed Bastian said on July 22 on NBC’s “Today”.
“If you are on board the plane and you insist on not wearing your mask, we will insist that you do not fly Delta,” Bastian said.
