Air Marshalls kept off plane by mistaken agent

Washington Times:

A team of federal air marshals was prevented from protecting a recent flight from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport because a gate agent erroneously said they did not have the correct paperwork, say marshals familiar with the incident.
Officials with Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) were called in to remove the marshals from US Airways Flight 3464 departing Nov. 8 for Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn.
"Right now we know, obviously, that federal air marshals were denied boarding," said Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) spokesman Conan Bruce.
Marshals knowledgeable about this case and others told The Washington Times on the condition of anonymity that the gate agent demanded paperwork which is required of other law-enforcement officials, but not from federal air marshals who are on duty to protect the plane from a terrorist attack.
The flight arrived late, and passengers were immediately boarded while marshals showed their identification to the gate agent and head flight attendant. They asked to brief the captain then boarded the plane.
The marshals were first rousted from their seats to report to the jet bridge, where the gate agent demanded paperwork intended for off-duty law-enforcement officers carrying weapons. The marshals told the gate agent that they were on mission status and the paperwork was not required, and they returned to their seats.
The marshals were called to the jet bridge a second time to speak with the captain, and the marshals then returned to their seats.
Minutes later, the marshals were called again to the jet bridge a third time, where MWAA officers ordered the marshals to exit the plane.
...
Mr. Bruce said the agency is working with the airline to review the incident, "get the facts and find out what happened."
...

Here is a tip. Read this article and talk to the Marshall's. The gate agent and the air line screwed up and both should be disciplined. The airline should probably be fined.