It is always interesting when reports of suspicious behavior at US airports are considered newsworthy in Saudi Arabia. Fifteen of the 19 September 11th hijackers were Saudis. A few days ago, the Counterterrorism Blog’s Olivier Guitta wrote about the Saudi newspaper, Al Watan reporting on airport vehicle thefts and possible surveillance of security areas.

“The Saudi daily Al Watan just reported that there have been a number of thefts of airport vehicles in US airports in the past few days including an United Air car on Chicago O’hare’s airport. Also attempts were made in the Buffalo airport to steal authorized vehicles and supposedly airport authorities around the country have noticed strange people watching restricted areas in airports.”

The Aviation Nation contacted United Airlines for more information. Spokesperson Megan McCarthy had this to say in an email:

Annie, on December 29, we filed a police report that a United van was missing from the O’Hare airfield. We found the van in a different part of the airport on January 5.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Megan McCarthy
United Airlines
Media Relations

The Buffalo News reports the January 6 arrest of a 17-year old from Washington State. Mitchell A. Johnson is charged with grand larceny in the theft of a “private construction vehicle from Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority property at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.”

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