Toy Grenade Causes Bomb Scare Houston's Hobby Airport
HOUSTON (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — A toy grenade in a passenger's bag forced the shutdown of a security checkpoint at Houston's William P. Hobby Airport Thursday morning, inconveniencing hundreds of people catching early-morning flights.
The TSA security line has been closed due to a suspicious device being found during screening. Please check with your carrier to see if your flight is being impacted by this delay. We will post updates as they become available.
— Hobby Airport (@HobbyAirport) June 7, 2018
Houston Airport System spokesman Bill Begley said people were allowed to approach the checkpoint again after a bomb squad determined that the suspicious item spotted by a Transportation Security Administration agent was a "novelty grenade."
An Associated Press journalist was in the line when a TSA agent raised an alarm at about 4:35 a.m., forcing hundreds of people to move away from the immediate area on both sides of the security checkpoint.
"My wife and I were waiting to drop our bags into the X-ray machine and go through the detector, and I heard a TSA agent scream "Shut it down, shut it down, shut it down!" Everyone was looking around, confused, and people were ordered to "Clear out now!" the AP's John L. Mone said.
About 15 minutes after sending the tweet about the closure the airport said the device had "been removed" and they were working to get everything fully operational again.
Device has been removed, and TSA is re-opening the checkpoint and working to resume passenger screening. Expect some delays through security, and as always check with your carrier to see if your flight has been impacted. #fly2houston
— Hobby Airport (@HobbyAirport) June 7, 2018
The airport later gave some hints that passengers need to be more vigilant and be aware of what they're packing in their bags.
Now might be a good time for a gentle reminder that there are items you CANNOT bring through security checkpoints. Please double check this list before heading to ANY airport for a flight: https://t.co/0Ps4sWpruF
— Hobby Airport (@HobbyAirport) June 7, 2018
Begley said the unidentified passenger's "inappropriate comment" prompted a bomb squad to close the international terminal for nearly an hour.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)