Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport officials detained a Texas man after an unloaded missile launcher was found in his checked bag.
The man, of Jacksonville, Texas, was tracked down by airport police after Transportation Security Administration officers found the missile launcher in his bag. It was not loaded, but he was detained for questioning, officials said.
The man told security he was active duty military and was bringing home the launcher — complete with two stickers including one that reads “Griffin Missile” — from Kuwait.
Military weapons are not permitted in checked or carry-on bags, but also not illegal, said Lisa Farbstein, TSA spokeswoman.
The man was not arrested and allowed to catch his flight, she said.
The last time a person was caught with a similar weapon was when a Florida man carried a rocket propelled grenade launcher at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania, Farbstein said.
Farbstein said she couldn’t recall a person recently being caught with such a weapon at BWI, thought it’s not uncommon for TSA personnel to confiscate firearms being transported illegally and to arrest the traveler.
———
© 2019 The Baltimore Sun
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
