A bag belonging to a traveler tripped TSA alarms on July 18 after officers discovered Civil War-era cannonballs in the individual’s luggage, the first cannon-related mishap since JPMorgan’s polarizing legal proceedings.
Roll Tide.
The inert cannonballs, which were — naturally — wrapped in paper towels, were discovered during the baggage screening process at Alabama’s Gulf Shores International Airport and later determined by police to have been stolen from the nearby coastal stronghold Fort Morgan.
“My first thought was, ‘I couldn’t see a fuse and need to get some help quick,’” TSA officer Justin Dupree recalled in a release. “I couldn’t see the entire item but was scared I might have been holding a live explosive.”
Dupree noted the antique artillery projectiles ranged in size, with the largest comparable to a grapefruit.
“I had never seen anything quite this unique,” Dupree said. “I’ve seen inert grenades and training munitions but never an Indiana Jones-esque stolen artifact-type situation.”
A TSA explosives specialist and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office were subsequently notified and determined that the cannonballs posed no threat.
Law enforcement investigating the incident stated the passenger claimed to be unaware of how the projectiles were acquired. The cannonballs were later returned to Fort Morgan, the release added.
Passenger attempts to transport illegal items, including outlandish weaponry, through the screening process are, of course, nothing new.
In a more glaring example from 2019, a Florida man traveling through Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley International Airport set off alarms after his bag was found to contain a disassembled rocket-propelled grenade.
The individual was subsequently taken into an inspection area, where he told airport security he was under the impression he could bring the checked RPG on the plane, CBS Philadelphia reported.
Inspection of the weapon itself revealed that the launcher was not in working order, and the grenade was a realistic replica.
The items were confiscated by security, and, miraculously, the individual boarded his flight on time.
Observation Post is the Military Times one-stop shop for all things off-duty. Stories may reflect author observations.
J.D. Simkins is Editor-in-Chief of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.