But we had quite a layover at LAX so had some time to look around. There, just as in so many other places, the secure area contains plenty of opportunities to gather various objects I imagine would be useful to the hijacking kind.
Airport security is a joke, but it does provide employment and other obvious opportunities for the less ambitious who can't make a living anywhere else.
Just exactly a month ago they stole the Bic lighter out of my camera bag (like maybe I was gonna go big and take down a DH-8 turboprop - somehow, with that). The same lighter made it from Eugene to Puerto Vallarta and back. Guess I should have put it in my pocket. But no worry - I had no more use for it then until I got home - and just in case, I still had plenty of matches.
I used to work for that agency. I resigned after 2 years basically in disgust for this type of activity as well as other things.
Most likely they didn't steal your lighter. It was a prohibited item per their regs at least at that time. They should have left a note in the bag. As far as the lighter getting thru other airports , it probably was just missed.
IMHO the primary reason this case came to light was the victims were mainly celebrities with high visibility and high end items. The TSA couldn't sweep the thefts under the rug. Ordinary people probably wouldn't have received the same attention, sad to say.