RICHMOND, Va. — A Williamsburg man was stopped after a double-bladed knife was found concealed inside the inner workings of his laptop computer during a security checkpoint screening at the Richmond International Airport.
On Friday, Nov. 11, a U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at the checkpoint x-ray machine spotted what appeared to be a knife inside the man's carry-on bag, TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said. The content of the bags were searched, but at first no knife was spotted until each item in the carry-on bag was separated and went through the X-ray machine again.
At that point, the X-ray image indicated that the knife was inside the laptop and required closer inspection. After officials obtained tools that could disassemble the laptop, the spokesperson said, a double-edged knife was found to have been 'artfully concealed' inside the guts of the computer.
“This was a superb job on the part of our officers to first identify the threat and then work in partnership with the Capital Region Airport Commission Police to obtain tools that were necessary to disassemble the laptop to reveal the knife,” said Robin “Chuck” Burke, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport.
The traveler, who wasn’t identified, initially claimed he had no idea there was a knife inside his laptop, the spokesperson said. However, after the knife was revealed, and the man confirmed that the knife belonged to him.
"Detecting artfully concealed weapons points to the training and skill of our officers who are focused on their mission to ensure that prohibited items that could cause harm are not carried onto flights. The traveler now faces a stiff federal financial civil penalty,” Burke said.
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