Bomb squad called at Los Angeles Airport after surprising find in passenger’s bag

Airport security at Los Angeles International Airport had to call in the bomb squad after x-raying a passenger’s bag to find it was full of prohibited items. The female passenger, hoping to travel to Philadelphia, arrived at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at Terminal 4 at around 10 pm on December 15. A TSA officer flagged the bag for a check after seeing multiple prohibited items on the x-ray image. When the bag was opened with the passenger present, the TSA officer was shocked to find two replica firearms, three knives and a canister of pepper spray. There were also 82 consumer-grade fireworks which the Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad was called in to dispose of. “The sheer number of prohibited items discovered in a single carry-on bag is extremely concerning,” said Jason Pantages, TSA federal security director for LAX. “We are in the midst of the holiday travel season when security checkpoints will be busy everywhere. Let this incident serve as a reminder to all travellers to double-check the contents of your bag prior to coming to the airport.” TSA notified the Los Angeles World Airport police department and LAWA officers responded to the security checkpoint and interviewed the passenger. The LAWA bomb squad also responded and confiscated the fireworks.<br/>