A Lackawanna County, Pa., man was arrested by police on January 20, after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Newark Liberty International Airport intercepted a handgun in the man’s carry-on bag at one of the checkpoints in Terminal A.
It was the first firearm detected at one of the security checkpoints so far this year. Last year, the TSA officers at Newark set a record when they stopped 21 firearms at the airport checkpoints.
The Archbald, Pa., man was arrested by Port Authority Police after the 9mm gun, a folding knife and an extra 12 bullets in a gun magazine also were removed from the carry-on bag.
“Our officers are good at their job, and they are focused on the mission,” said Thomas Carter, TSA’s Federal Security Director for New Jersey. “Travelers are responsible for the contents of their carry-on bags. This individual had a gun, a loaded gun magazine and a knife among his carry-on items. That’s three prohibited items, which is absolutely inexcusable. Not only was this individual arrested, but he also faces a stiff federal financial civil penalty that could cost him thousands of dollars. That’s a very expensive mistake to make.”
The original announcement can be found here.