Iraqi lawmaker halts daughter's Istanbul flight at Baghdad airport

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A member of Iraq's parliament prevented her daughter from boarding a flight to Istanbul at Baghdad International Airport on Wednesday evening, according to airport sources. The lawmaker contacted the relevant authorities after learning that her daughter had planned to travel without the family's knowledge, the sources said. She cited concerns about her daughter's psychological condition as the reason for the intervention. Security units acted before the boarding gate opened and passengers began boarding, the sources said. The woman was not permitted to fly, and her mother went to the airport and took her back. The sources rejected claims that the plane was turned back or diverted after takeoff, saying the Istanbul-bound flight departed on schedule with its remaining passengers.