Mystery group Flannery Associates spends $1.2 billion on land surrounding California air force base

News Snapshot:

A mystery group known as the Flannery Associates has bought up $1.2 billion worth of land surrounding the Travis Air Force base in California, with the US government unable to tell who’s behind it. The secretive company has bought up an astonishing 50,000 acres of land -- paying US$800 million (A$1.22bn) for it -- since 2018, almost entirely encircling the air force base. The base is a key American gateway to the Pacific Ocean. It houses large transport aircraft used for refuelling smaller planes and sending aid and munitions around the world. Flannery Associates has invested $1.2 billion on around...