Traffic & Transit
Missile Launcher Found In Luggage At BWI Airport, Officials Say
A man who said he was in the military had to fly out of BWI without the souvenir missile launcher he wanted to bring back, officials report.
![A missile launcher was found in a traveler's luggage at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport July 29, the TSA reported.](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/57041/20190729/112025/styles/patch_image/public/missile-launcher___29111411068.png)
A Texas man had to hand over his missile launcher to authorities at the Baltimore/Washington International Airport before heading home Monday morning, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Officials said he had the device in his checked luggage.
Once it was discovered during the screening process, TSA officials put a call out to airport police, who located the man in the airport and detained him for questioning.
The traveler β who identified himself as an active military member β told authorities he was returning to Texas from Kuwait, and he was bringing the missile launcher home as a souvenir, according to the TSA.
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"Military weapons are not permitted in checked or carry-on bags," the TSA reminds passengers.
Investigators determined the missile launcher was not a live device turned it over to ensure it is safely disposed of by the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
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The man was allowed to catch his flight, according to the TSA, which reported he lives in Jacksonville, Texas.
![](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/57041/20190729/111806/styles/raw/public/processed_images/missile.jpg)
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