BRIGHTON bomber Patrick Magee was refused permission to board a flight last week - because it was due to pass over US airspace.
He had intended to fly from Heathrow to Mexico City to take part in a prestigious conference when authorities turned him away last Wednesday.
Mr Magee said that as he was due to collect his boarding pass he was told his seat had been cancelled “at the behest of the US” because the “flight would cross into US air space”.
The former IRA prisoner was travelling directly to Mexico with Jo Berry, whose father Sir Anthony Berry was killed in the Brighton bomb in October 1984.
She was allowed to continue with her journey.
Four other people died in the IRA blast which targeted members of the Conservative Party who were staying in the Grand Hotel while attending their annual conference.
After being banned from the planned Heathrow flight Mr Magee then flew to Madrid where he was due to catch a second direct flight to Mexico, but was again turned away.
After consulting with conference organisers he then caught another flight from Madrid in Bogota in Colombia before connecting to Mexico City.
However, on arrival he was detained by authorities before being deported back to Bogota and then Madrid.
He said he was not given any explanation for his deportation but believes it is linked to his past.
Mr Magee said he cannot rule out the involvement of US authorities in the decision by Mexican officials to deport him.
He had been due to take part in an eight-day talking tour of Mexico which he had expected to finish off at the high profile Ciudad de las Ideas (City of Ideas) conference.
In the past he has travelled across the world with Ms Berry giving talks about reconciliation.
He said: “I have spent the last 15 years working in reconciliation field but we still have a lot of work to reverse the American view of it."
