hotwheelstx
10-21-2003, 10:06 PM
PITTSBURGH (AP) - A man tried to board a plane with a knife and a cutting tool on Tuesday, then was allowed onto his flight once the items were confiscated, authorities said.
The man was flying from Erie, Pa., to Fort Myers, Fla., and was detained during a stop in Pittsburgh, said FBI spokesman Bill Crowley. It was unclear whether he would be charged with any crime. His name was not immediately released.
Federal screeners at Erie International Airport found a diving knife in the man's carry-on bag and a metal object in his shoe, said David Bagnoni, airport police chief.
The man told an airport officer the knife was in his bag because he was going on a diving trip and the tool in his shoe was likely planted by friends.
Bagnoni said he believed the man was trying to test security.
Airport police had little choice but to let the man continue on his flight because he didn't break any local or state laws and because federal authorities could not be immediately reached, Bagnoni said.
In the future, he said people caught with prohibited items would be held until federal authorities decide what to do with them.
The man was flying from Erie, Pa., to Fort Myers, Fla., and was detained during a stop in Pittsburgh, said FBI spokesman Bill Crowley. It was unclear whether he would be charged with any crime. His name was not immediately released.
Federal screeners at Erie International Airport found a diving knife in the man's carry-on bag and a metal object in his shoe, said David Bagnoni, airport police chief.
The man told an airport officer the knife was in his bag because he was going on a diving trip and the tool in his shoe was likely planted by friends.
Bagnoni said he believed the man was trying to test security.
Airport police had little choice but to let the man continue on his flight because he didn't break any local or state laws and because federal authorities could not be immediately reached, Bagnoni said.
In the future, he said people caught with prohibited items would be held until federal authorities decide what to do with them.