On 31/7, officers from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported an unusual incident at Gulf Shores International Airport in Alabama.
A security team leader initially thought the spherical metal objects, wrapped in tissue paper and visible on the scanner screen, were exercise balls. However, a bag passing through the scanner triggered an alarm.
Upon opening the luggage, security personnel found five small cannonballs of varying sizes, meticulously wrapped in multiple layers of paper. The largest cannonball was the size of a grapefruit, according to the TSA.
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One of the stolen cannonballs. Photo: NBC
The security team leader recounted that his first thought was the absence of a fuse, but he quickly called for backup. "I didn't see the entire object, but I was worried I was holding a live bomb", he stated.
He added, "I have seen inert grenades and training ammunition, but I have never encountered a case like this antique theft straight out of an Indiana Jones movie."
A supervisor was dispatched to review the images and the bag, identifying the items as "potentially dangerous articles".
Subsequently, the cannonballs were determined to be inert and non-explosive. They contained no explosive material or active components.
Police discovered the cannonballs had been stolen from Fort Morgan in Alabama, a historic site from the Civil War era.
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Fort Morgan, built around 1812, was designated a national historic landmark in 1960. Photo: OBA news
The female traveler was also "stunned", claiming she did not know why they were in her luggage.
The Baldwin County Sheriff's Office launched an investigation, revealing that the incident was caused by a teenager. The teenager had stolen the cannonballs from a storage area within the fort and placed them in his grandmother's checked luggage. His grandmother maintained she was unaware they were stolen.
The sheriff's office decided not to press charges, and the artifacts have since been returned to the fort.
The TSA screens more than 2 million passengers daily. This summer alone, the TSA has found two active smoke grenades, one inert grenade, an object resembling a pipe bomb, and a samurai sword concealed in a guitar case.
Hai Thu (According to NBC)
