RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, July 24 (UPI) -- A Saudi airline official reportedly said Saturday there are no Saudi pilots in U.S. custody, but he complained about U.S. measures against the pilots.
The official al-Watan newspaper quoted Saudia Airlines Director Khalid bin Baker as saying no other country in the world besides the United States has prevented certain Saudi pilots from flying over U.S. air space.
He said the kingdom "does not treat American pilots in this way because the measure the American government took was based on a misunderstanding over certain names."
Bin Baker added lawyers "explained this to the American authorities, which led to the revoking of the decision against some names, and work is being done for the rest."
The U.S. authorities have banned several Saudia Airlines pilots from entering American air space on suspicion they may be linked to al-Qaida network, led by Saudi-born dissident Osama bin Laden.
Most of the Sept. 11, 2001, attackers on the United States were Saudi nationals who took control of the passenger airplanes that crashed into the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington.
