A routine baggage screening at an Alabama airport escalated into a high-alert situation when a TSA officer identified alarming shapes on the X-ray screen, initially mistaking them for medicine balls but soon suspecting they could be live explosives. The discovery was made on July 18 at Gulf Shores International Airport when lead TSA officer Justin Dupree noticed five large, opaque items in a passenger’s checked bag. Dupree, who had never encountered such a unique item in his four years with the TSA, immediately alerted his supervisor, Richard Cash, due to the inability to clearly discern the objects and the potential danger they posed. Explosives specialists and local law enforcement were called to the scene as the cannonballs, ranging in size up to grapefruits and wrapped in paper towels, were classified as prohibited artillery munitions due to the uncertainty of their explosive capability. The mystery unraveled when officials determined the cannonballs had been stolen from Fort Morgan, a historic fort in Gasque, Alabama, by a juvenile who had placed them in their grandmother’s checked bag. Although the grandmother claimed ignorance of the theft, and the fort’s director opted not to press charges, the incident served as a stark reminder of the security risks involved when historical artifacts, especially those resembling potential weapons, are transported through airports, prompting TSA officials to emphasize the importance of avoiding any items that could cause security alerts or safety concerns.
Adapted from: Travel News Today on Fox News
