TSA hands woman pair of pliers, tells her to remove nipple rings

A Los Angeles attorney has contacted the media claiming that a woman flying out of Los Angeles International Airport was handed a pair of pliers from Transportation Security Administration workers and made to remove her nipple rings before passing through and boarding her flight.

Sadly, this wonderful Associated Press story is short on details as of this writing. The AP names the attorney, one Gloria Allred, but notes that she did not go into much detail while making the allegation. Perhaps she simply witnessed the incident? A news conference is forthcoming, but it’s unclear when.

Reached for comment by the AP, TSA spokesman Dwayne Baird said he had not heard of the matter, but added that while the administration has no specific policy about body jewelry and piercings, if somebody has a piercing big enough to set off alarms it would have to be “investigated.”

No word yet on whether the woman at issue had to put the pliers to work while still in the security line.