NEWBURGH, Ind. — A local elected official recently posted on Facebook about the Middle Eastern name of an airline mechanic accused of sabotaging a flight, asking why anyone would "dare trust" a person with such a name.

Debbie Reid is a member of the Ohio Township Advisory Board in Warrick County. She has been on the board five years.

The post on her personal Facebook page was about Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani, who worked for American Airlines in Miami and was arrested in July. He was accused of tampering with an aircraft amid a labor dispute.

Reid posted a Fox News report about Alani’s case and asked: “DO WE DARE TRUST ANYONE WITH A NAME LIKE THIS ANYMORE???”

The Facebook post isn’t publicly visible on Reid’s page, but the Courier & Press was shown a screenshot of it, as well as some other posts she recently has made.

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Reid hung up when the Courier & Press called to ask her about the Facebook post. She did not answer subsequent calls.

Warrick County Republican Party Chairman Mike Griffin said he did not agree with Reid’s Facebook comment and said it reflects Reid’s “personal opinion” and not that of the local Republican Party.

Griffin said he’s not on Facebook and didn’t know about the comment until being told about it by the Courier & Press.

“Oh no. Heavens, no. Why would I? It’s rather racial. I don’t agree with her comment, not at all,” Griffin said.

Asked if there could be repercussions for Reid’s Facebook comment, Griffin said it is possible the issue could be discussed by the Warrick County Republican Central Committee.

According to USA Today reporting on Alani’s case in Miami, the mechanic told law enforcement officials he was "upset at the stalled contract dispute between the union workers and American Airlines, and that this dispute had affected him financially."

Alani said he did not intend to harm the plane or passengers. He said he tampered with the plane to cause a flight delay or cancellation in hopes of earning overtime, according to the complaint filed against him.

Alani, 60, is a long-time mechanic working at American's Miami hub.

Reid has made other recent Facebook posts sharply critical of the Islam faith.

She linked to a commentary piece from a website called "Israel, Islam & End Times," for example, posting this quote from it: “Islam is not a religion. Islam is a totalitarian political ideology that rejects the basic principles of freedom and liberty protected by the U.S. Constitution. In fact, Islam is the clearest and most present danger to America’s existence.”

The Islamic Center of Evansville is located on Grimm Road, in Ohio Township. The Courier & Press left a message there Monday.

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