CNN
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Federal brokers arrested a Pennsylvania man this week after he allegedly tried to deliver explosives in his suitcase on a flight from Lehigh Valley Worldwide Airport to Florida.
In response to court docket paperwork, an alarm alerted that the luggage belonging to Marc Muffley contained explosives. Transportation Safety Administration brokers paged Muffley over the airport intercom system and requested him to report back to the airport’s safety desk, prosecutors stated, however he didn’t present up.
Quickly after, safety cameras allegedly caught Muffley leaving the airport. He had checked his baggage on Flight 201 sure for Orlando Sanford Worldwide Airport, in keeping with court docket paperwork.
The FBI contacted the Carbon County chief of detectives who stated he knew Muffley personally, in keeping with court docket paperwork, and confirmed that Muffley’s deal with matched the one on his driver’s license.
“The FBI arrested Marc Muffley, 40, with out incident at his Lansford, Pa., residence late Monday evening,” an FBI spokesperson stated in an announcement to CNN.
Muffley stays in custody and can make his first court docket look on Thursday, the FBI spokesperson stated.
CNN has reached out to Allegiant Air and the Lehigh Valley Worldwide Airport for remark.
In response to the criticism, an alarm alerted Muffley’s baggage to TSA brokers because it was being screened. Brokers inspected baggage and located a “round compound roughly three inches in diameter, wrapped in a wax-like paper and clear plastic wrap hidden within the lining of the luggage, amongst different gadgets,” court docket paperwork acknowledged.
A security bomb technician X-rayed the bag, investigators stated, and located that it contained a powder hid within the plastic wrap per “commercial-grade fireworks.” Investigators additionally stated a fuse was connected to the round compound.
“The bags additionally contained a can of butane, a lighter, a pipe with white powder residue, a wi-fi drill with cordless batteries, and two GFCI retailers taped along with black tape,” the criticism acknowledged.
TSA stated in an announcement that “out of an abundance of warning, the rapid space of airport was evacuated and the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation had been notified.”
Bomb technicians decided the merchandise “was certainly a reside explosive machine,” in keeping with TSA.
“Transportation Safety Officers are extremely educated and extremely expert professionals on the entrance line of aviation safety and catches corresponding to this illustrate the purpose,” TSA stated in its assertion.
The airport was closed for greater than two hours after the incident, in keeping with Colin Riccobon, public relations director of the airport. Quite a few businesses responded, together with two bomb squads, and it demonstrated “super teamwork,” Riccobon stated.
Checked baggage on the Lehigh Valley airport is handed by passengers to airline personnel on the examine in counter. The bags is then transferred to a TSA agent for screening.
TSA brokers display screen about 800-1,600 passengers a day on the airport, the company advised CNN.
This story has been up to date with extra developments.