Current:Home > Contact-usPlastic skull being transported for trade show in Mexico halts baggage screening at Salt Lake City airport-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Plastic skull being transported for trade show in Mexico halts baggage screening at Salt Lake City airport
View Date:2024-12-23 10:41:33
An unusual item found in a traveler's luggage recently joined the ranks of oddities that officials from the Transportation Security Administration can add to their list of finds: A plastic skull.
It all started around 8 a.m. local time on Sept. 18 at Salt Lake City International Airport when a TSA explosive detection unit flagged an item inside a piece of checked luggage as a potential security threat, according to a news release from TSA. Officers reviewed the X-ray image of what appeared to be a skull with unidentifiable components inside. The item resembled an improvised explosive device, the release said.
TSA officials notified the Salt Lake City Police Airport Division, who worked with the agency's explosives specialists and an explosive detection canine. Operations were suspended for about two hours as officials investigated and contacted the passenger, who was able to explain what the item was and why they were traveling with it.
Turns out that the skull is a medical training device for spine and neurosurgeons, and can be used to instruct them on how to conduct a lobotomy. The passenger was transporting the skull for display at a trade show in Cancun, Mexico, according to the release.
"This incident and subsequent response is an example of how TSA must take every potential security threat seriously while making sure that the transportation system is not put at risk," said TSA Federal Security Director for Utah Matt Davis. "I was pleased at the professionalism of everyone involved who worked closely to fully resolve the matter, to ensure that security was not compromised and to resume operations as quickly possible."
In the end, the skull was not permitted to travel on a commercial aircraft and was retained by TSA to be picked up upon the passenger's return to Salt Lake City.
Other items that TSA officials have confiscated inside luggage at airports in recent years include raw chicken, knives inside laptops and drugs inside hair scrunchies.
- In:
- Mexico
- Salt Lake City
- Transportation Security Administration
veryGood! (98359)
Related
- Special counsel Smith asks court to pause appeal seeking to revive Trump’s classified documents case
- Phoenix sees temperatures of 110 or higher for 31st straight day
- Blake Lively Cheekily Clarifies Her Trainer Is Not the Father of Her and Ryan Reynolds’ 4 Kids
- Watch Live: Lori Vallow Daybell speaks in sentencing hearing for doomsday mom murder case
- Ben Affleck and His Son Samuel, 12, Enjoy a Rare Night Out Together
- Hi, Barbie! Margot Robbie's 'Barbie' tops box office for second week with $93 million
- Yellow is shutting down and headed for bankruptcy, the Teamsters Union says. Here’s what to know
- The FBI should face new limits on its use of US foreign spy data, a key intelligence board says
- 'Wanted' posters plastered around University of Rochester target Jewish faculty members
- Busy Minneapolis interstate reopens after investigation into state trooper’s use of force
Ranking
- Taylor Swift Becomes Auntie Tay In Sweet Photo With Fellow Chiefs WAG Chariah Gordon's Daughter
- A pilot is hurt after a banner plane crash near a popular tourist beach in South Carolina
- Florida woman partially bites other woman's ear off after fight breaks out at house party, officials say
- Takeaways from AP’s reporting on inconsistencies in RFK Jr.'s record
- Powerball winning numbers for Nov. 9 drawing: Jackpot rises to $92 million
- Mike Huckabee’s “Kids Guide to the Truth About Climate Change” Shows the Changing Landscape of Climate Denial
- Yes, heat can affect your brain and mood. Here's why
- DeSantis faces rugged comeback against Trump, increased AI surveillance: 5 Things podcast
Recommendation
-
Shaun White Reveals How He and Fiancée Nina Dobrev Overcome Struggles in Their Relationship
-
Cycling Star Magnus White Dead at 17 After Being Struck By Car During Bike Ride
-
4 dead, 2 injured in separate aircraft accidents in Wisconsin, authorities say
-
Lady Gaga Pens Moving Tribute to Collaborator Tony Bennett After Very Long and Powerful Goodbye
-
Jason Kelce collaborates with Stevie Nicks for Christmas duet: Hear the song
-
6-year-old girl dead after being struck by family's boat at lake
-
Super Bowl Champion Bruce Collie's 30-Year-Old Daughter Killed in Wisconsin Plane Crash
-
Tim McGraw Slams Terrible Trend of Concertgoers Throwing Objects At Performers