A man being described as “emotionally disturbed” on Thursday night visited Ben-Gurion International Airport in search of “flying saucers,” explaining he has a fixation with following unidentified flying objects. As a result, he decided to head to the airport and his actions resulted in a major security alert, but not before he penetrated a sterile area that he never should have reached.

At about 1:00am on Thursday night, airport workers noticed a male hiding out, who when realizing he was spotted told them “Shush, I am looking for flying saucers.” They immediately notified security.

Upon their arrival, security officials searched the man, in his 30s, from the north, realizing he was unarmed. He told them he was planning to meet with creatures from space. A check of the area’s electronic surveillance fence revealed it was not penetrated, leading security officials to wonder how the man entered the sterile airport area so easily. The suspect was eventually turned over to police, who requested he undergo psychiatric evaluation in a Beersheva facility. It was deemed that he does not present a threat to the public and he was released.

Airport security officials explain that the system is indeed a good one, but there is no such thing as “perfect,” stating the appropriate lessons will be learned from this incident.

This is not the first time someone entered a sterile area. Last October a male entered via the fence, setting off the detection system, but the cameras did not manage to pick him up on surveillance. He too was apprehended.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)