¡¡  WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- A passenger plane bound for Washington from London was diverted to the northeastern US state of Maine on Tuesday after the name of a passenger appeared on a US government watch list, authorities said.

    The match was made between the passenger and the watch list, after United Airlines Flight 919 had already left London en route to the Washington, D.C. suburban Dulles International Airport, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spokesman said.

    The plane arrived at Maine's Bangor International Airport at about 3 p.m. local time and was met by federal agents there, he said.

    The passenger was identified as Yusuf Islam, who was formerly known as pop singer Cat Stevens, by the Advanced Passenger Information System, which requires airlines to send passenger information to US Customs and Border Protection's National Targeting Center, officials said.

    Homeland Security spokesman Dennis Murphy said the passenger was interviewed and denied admission to the United States on national security grounds, and would be put on the first available flight out of the country on Wednesday. Enditem