A checked baggage process room had to be locked down at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), also known as Honolulu Airport, in Hawaii, United States (US), after anti-aircraft ammunition was found in a passenger’s luggage.
According to Hawaii News Now, the discovery was made on December 8, 2023, at 5:30 am local time, when security scanners flagged the unusual item.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents immediately checked the suspect bag and located a .50 caliber anti-aircraft round of ammunition inside.
As a precaution the checked baggage room was evacuated, and local police departments were notified about the incident.
The Hawaii State Sheriffs, Honolulu Police Department bomb squad and US Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal all responded to the emergency call.
After specialist trained staff investigated the anti-aircraft ammunition, the item was removed from the area and normal services returned to the airport at 7:30 am.
It is not unusual for TSA agents to find firearms in passengers’ baggage, but the discovery of anti-aircraft ammunition will certainly be a first for many.
On the same day as the HNL incident, the TSA announced that a man was stopped at a Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Virginia, check point with a loaded 9mm handgun.
It was the 34th gun that TSA officers have detected at DCA at one of the checkpoints so far this year.