Airport X-ray exposes dangerous weapon illegally concealed in passenger's carry-on
- TSA officers at Watertown International Airport flagged a suspicious aerosol can in a traveler's carry-on.
- The item turned out to be a spent M18 smoke grenade tucked into a side pocket.
- The passenger claimed he simply 'forgot' the military-grade pyrotechnic was in his bag.
- TSA explosives experts confirmed the device was inert, but warned such items trigger massive security delays.
Brief Summary
TSA agents in upstate New York were left stunned when a routine scan of a passenger's bag revealed a spent M18 smoke grenade hidden inside an aerosol container. Despite the passenger's flimsy excuse that he had forgotten the military relic was in his luggage, the discovery forced a full-scale security response and an evaluation by explosives experts.
Why This Matters
This serves as a blunt reminder that the TSA's scanners are looking for more than just oversized shampoo bottles. Bringing 'inert' or 'replica' weapons to an airport checkpoint creates an immediate security bottleneck, triggers mandatory law enforcement intervention, and ruins your travel plans for the day. If you are in the habit of using old military gear as luggage accessories, expect to be pulled out of line, interrogated, and potentially slapped with hefty civil penalties.