MELBOURNE, Australia - A man was removed from a Qantas flight to London because he would not take off a T-shirt with a picture of President Bush and the slogan "World's No. 1 terrorist."

Allen Jasson said Monday he was turned away last Friday at a Qantas departure gate in Melbourne.

Jasson said he wore the shirt unchallenged through official security checks, then approached a Qantas staff member at the gate to draw attention to it because he had been asked to remove it before boarding a domestic flight days earlier.

"I raised the issue, but I wanted primarily to thank Qantas for relenting when he told me: `I'm surprised you got this far, the staff should have stopped you,'" Jasson said.

Qantas Airways Ltd. said in a statement: "Whether made verbally or on a T-shirt, comments with the potential to offend other customers or threaten the security of a Qantas group aircraft will not be tolerated."

Jasson, an Australian who lives in London, said Qantas had offered to put him on another flight if he does not wear the shirt. But he has declined.

"I might forfeit the fare, but I have made up my mind that I would rather stand up for the principle of free speech," he said.

He said he was considering suing the airline, but it was not immediately clear under what law.