WASHINGTON, D.C. — Washington Dulles International Airport made it into the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) list of Top 10 List of unusual good catches detected at airports in 2020. TSA released the list in an on-line video it posted on the agency’s YouTube account.
What was the item from the airport that ranked as #7 on the top ten list? Read on . . .
TSA officers detected a live military smoke grenade in a traveler’s checked bag in late September 2020. As the checked bag was screened, it triggered an alarm and was diverted for additional screening, resulting in the need for a TSA officer to inspect the contents of the bag to ensure that there was no threat item inside. Upon opening the baggage, a TSA officer came across a military smoke canister labeled “Smoke/Yellow” with a triggering device at the top similar to those on hand grenades. The canister was olive green with bright yellow on the top.
TSA officials notified the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority Police who located the passenger and told officials that he had purchased the canister at a military surplus store several years ago and he believed it was inert. A TSA explosives specialist and the state police bomb squad examined the item and the bomb squad removed it from the airport. The item was determined to be a live smoke grenade.
For more information on what you can and cannot bring on an airplane, visit www.tsa.gov.