Men Raise Suspicions at Bay Bridge Airport by Taking Photographs

March 11, 2005
Management at the Bay Bridge Airport in Stevensville reported that the men, who appeared to be Middle Eastern, were photographing the airport, airplanes and possibly the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
STEVENSVILLE, Md. (AP) -- Two men who asked permission to take pictures at a small airport near the Bay Bridge in Maryland, triggered a report of ''suspicious activity'' to the state's homeland security data center.

Management at the Bay Bridge Airport in Stevensville reported that the men, who appeared to be Middle Eastern, were photographing the airport, airplanes and possibly the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on Wednesday, according to the Queen Anne's County Sheriff's Office.

The men refused to say why they wanted to take the pictures, airport employees said, and when they could not get the access they sought asked for brochures with pictures of airplanes instead.

An employee took photocopies of their driver's licenses.

The sheriff's office passed the airport's report of ''suspicious activity'' on to the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center, which includes all levels of government and law enforcement, said Maryland Governor's Office of Homeland Security spokesman Jim Pettit.

Database checks turned up no information on the men, but the information will be evaluated, he said.