A man who has been reported to the TSA for suspicious activity more than 25 times was arrested at the Gwinnett County Airport last week, according to police.
Ahmed Olasunkanmi Salau was charged with criminal trespass and banned from the Gwinnett County Airport after asking about a flight that he claimed was coming for him at the airport, which handles mostly private flights, according to a police report.
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Before his arrest, the TSA had issued a BOLO (be on the lookout) to airports about Salau “based on continued attempts by this individual to access restricted areas and aircraft at multiple airports.”
The alert included a list of at least 25 verified incidents involving Salau at airports ranging from small municipal airfields to international airports including Washington-Dulles and Midway in Chicago.
The first incident, in 2016, involved Salau traveling on a commercial flight using a fake name, date of birth and photo ID, the alert says. Between February and October of 2017, Salau was reported to the TSA for activity at airports in eight states.
Salau has falsely claimed to be an airline pilot, attempted to board charter flights that he was not scheduled to ride, showed up to an airport dressed as a limousine driver and asked about specific aircrafts and tail numbers, according to the alert.
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On Dec. 26, Salau went to Ben Epps Airport in Athens and began speaking to a private pilot about flight patterns, a police report said. Airport employees requested that Salau be banned from the airport for two years, and Athens-Clarke County Police took out a warrant for loitering and prowling.
Salau was seen at the Gwinnett County Airport on Dec. 28, when an employee recognized him from the TSA BOLO. When officers arrived, they saw Salau pulling on the door of an airport building, a police report said. Salau was charged with criminal trespass in Gwinnett County and transferred to the Athens-Clarke County jail on the loitering and prowling warrant.
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