Authorities said Thursday that an Alexandria, Virginia, man was stopped and cited at Reagan National Airport with 23 weapons — including knives, disposable scalpels and brass knuckles.
According to the Transportation Security Administration, the man’s carry-on bag had:
- Nine disposable scalpels;
- Eight folding locking-blade knives;
- Three martial arts throwing knives;
- One dagger;
- One switchblade;
- One pair of brass knuckles.
It goes without saying — yet here we are — that you can’t bring any of those on an airplane.
The man was stopped after the security checkpoint’s X-ray machine found the weapons. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police responded and issued the man a citation.
“When passengers have prohibited items among their carry-on items, it slows down the screening process,” John Busch, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport, said in a statement. “Travelers play a role in the efficiency of checkpoint screening by knowing what should and should not be packed in a carry-on bag.”
He added that fliers should use the myTSA app, which has a “Can I bring?” feature.
“Even in the sometimes chaotic environment of the screening checkpoints, the TSA officers at our airport do an amazing job every day by keeping dangerous items out of the aircraft cabin,” Busch said. “It’s important to acknowledge them and the significance of their mission.”
