A US Marine was arrested at Boston Logan airport yesterday when baggage screeners discovered a gun, boxes of ammunition, three rocket engines, various fuses, switches and the detonator from a hand grenade.
The Marine was on his way from Las Vegas to Charlotte when the discovery was made.
Now, carrying a gun in your checked baggage is not against the law, as long as you declare the item, which he had not done.
Carrying the kind of explosives found inside a rocket motor is not permitted though, and the Marine is currently in custody of the state police awaiting a court visit later today.
The most amazing part of the discovery is that it was made entirely by accident – the airline had inadvertently routed his bags to baggage claim instead of to his connecting flight which meant they had to be screened again.
This also means that screeners at Las Vegas airport completely missed the stuff.
Thankfully, the TSA says they will “actively investigate” how their Las Vegas staff were able to miss all the parts required for a bomb inside someones bags making its way on a commercial flight.