Passenger arrested at California airport for setting off 82 fireworks

By Lilit Marcus | CNN

It takes loads to shock the TSA, but one traveler succeeded when officers found dozens of fireworks and weapons in her carry-on luggage.

The woman's bag was being searched in Terminal 4 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on December 15 when a screening officer spotted suspicious items on the X-ray machine.

Inside were 82 fireworks, three knives, two replica firearms and a canister of pepper spray.

“The sheer number of prohibited items discovered in a single piece of carry-on baggage is extremely concerning,” LAX TSA federal security director Jason Pantages said in a press release.

“This incident should serve as a reminder to all travelers to double-check the contents of their luggage before coming to the airport.”

According to the TSA, the lady was carrying consumer-grade fireworks, which generally have weaker explosiveness than fireworks utilized in skilled displays.

Regardless of this, explosives akin to fireworks are never allowed in luggage – no matter whether or not they are checked or carried.

The passenger, who was flying to Philadelphia, was questioned by police while the LAX bomb squad confiscated the fireworks.

And the explosives-carrying traveler isn't the one passenger who has tried to smuggle contraband through LAX in recent weeks.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, a California man allegedly attempted to examine two suitcases containing 70 kilos of meth-laced clothing – including a cow onesie.

The man who booked a United flight to Sydney was arrested at LAX after customs officers found “irregularities” in his luggage and searched the luggage.

The TSA reports that 2.6 million people passed through airport security checkpoints within the United States on December 15, up from 2.5 million on the identical day in 2023.

The CNN Wire
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