A man tried to sneak a knife through airport security by hiding it in a shampoo bottle
- A 72-year-old man, Gonzalo Gonzalez, tried to sneak a knife through airport security at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport on Thursday by hiding it in a shampoo bottle, the Charlotte Observer reported.
- Gonzalez was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed weapon, according to Mecklenburg County jail records.
- Travelers can bring knives and firearms with them when they fly, but they must be placed in a checked bag, according to the TSA.
A 72-year-old man tried to sneak a knife past airport security by hiding it in a shampoo bottle, the Charlotte Observer reported.
On Thursday, the Transportation Security Administration inspected a bag belonging to Gonzalo Gonzalez after it was scanned at a security checkpoint at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. The agency found the knife, and Gonzalez was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed weapon, according to Mecklenburg County jail records. Gonzalez was released on Friday morning.
TSA Public Affairs spokesperson Lisa Farbstein posted a photo of the knife on her Twitter account on Friday.
"What's with travelers trying to conceal knives inside toiletries?" she wrote. "Remember, carry-on items go through a @TSA x-ray machine at the checkpoint. Shampoo and Q-tips aren't going to hide a knife from an x-ray machine. But it's a great way to miss your flight, or possibly get arrested."
Earlier, Farbstein had posted about a passenger who attempted to bring a knife through a security checkpoint at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport in Mississippi on Thursday by placing it inside of a box of Q-tips.
"C'mon man, really?!" she wrote
On Wednesday, the agency reported that it discovered 79 firearms in carry-on bags between April 16-22. During the past year, the agency has set weekly and annual records for the number of firearms discovered in carry-on bags. The agency found 3,957 in 2017 and 104 between February 5-11.
Travelers can bring knives and firearms with them when they fly, but they must be placed in a checked bag, according to the TSA.