TSA stops man from boarding Allegiant flight with concealed explosive device
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BREAKING NEWS: A 40-year-old man is in FBI custody after TSA found an explosive device hidden in the lining of his checked bag as it was being loaded onto an Allegiant flight from Pennsylvania to Florida
- Mark Muffley, 40, is facing charges of possession of an explosive at an airport and possession/attempt to plant an explosive on an airplane.
- The explosive was concealed in a piece of checked baggage and contained several fuses – it set off an alarm before being loaded onto the plane.
- Muffley was searched through the public airport system, left the airport, but was arrested at his home in Lansford later the same day.
A 40-year-old Pennsylvania man was detained by the FBI after attempting to smuggle an explosive device onto an Allegiant flight.
Authorities say the device was concealed inside a checked bag at Lehigh Valley International Airport and contained multiple fuses. ABC News informed.
Mark Muffley, from Lansford Pennsylvania, was about to board an Allegiant flight from eastern Pennsylvania to Sanford, Florida.
The bag set off an alarm before it was loaded onto the plane, and the TSA found a “circular compound” hidden in the lining of the luggage, the FBI said.
Mark Muffley, 40, was about to board an Allegiant flight from eastern Pennsylvania to Sanford, Florida. He has been charged with possession of an explosive at an airport and possession, attempt to plant or having placed an explosive on an aircraft.
A 40-year-old Pennsylvania man was detained by the FBI after attempting to smuggle an explosive device onto an Allegiant flight.
Once found, Muffley was called through the airport’s public system to come to the security desk. Minutes later, security cameras showed him leaving the airport.
Police, FBI and bomb experts responded to the airport. An airport spokesperson saying wfmz that part of the main terminal was closed at around 11:15 am while authorities investigated a ‘suspicious package’.
The device concealed in the lining of the bag was a circular composite, about three inches in diameter.
It is said to have contained a “granular type of powder hidden” in waxed paper and plastic wrap, according to a criminal complaint.
“This type of granular powder is consistent with a commercial grade firework,” the complaint states.
There were also two fuses attached, one of which appeared to be part of the original manufacture and is used to quickly ignite explosives.
The other fuse was added later and burns more slowly than a fast fuse, authorities said, adding that the powders could be ignited by heat and friction, posing a “significant risk” to the plane and passengers.
Investigators also found in the suitcase a butane canister, a cigarette lighter, a pipe with white powdery residue, a cordless drill and two GFCI plugs taped together.
Authorities say the device was concealed inside a piece of checked luggage and contained multiple fuses.
Authorities say the device posed a “significant risk” to the plane and passengers.
The suspicious package was discovered shortly after 11 a.m. Monday and the west side of the airport’s main terminal was closed “out of precaution.”
The package was removed from the airport and the closed part of the terminal reopened shortly before 2 p.m.
Muffley faces charges of possession of an explosive at an airport and possession/attempt to plant an explosive on a plane.
The 40-year-old man was arrested at his home in Lansford on Monday night; city and county authorities assisted the FBI with the arrest.