The TSA has a reminder for air travelers: Grenades and missile-launchers aren't allowed on board. Even fake ones.

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The TSA has a reminder for air travelers: Grenades and missile-launchers aren't allowed on board. Even fake ones.

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TSA Airport Security
  • A passenger at Newark Liberty International Airport tried to bring a realistic replica grenade in his checked bag on Saturday.
  • Explosives - real or replica - are not allowed on planes. Even in checked luggage.
  • Another passenger tried to bring a missile-launcher in his suitcase at Baltimore Airport on Monday.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The face of air security has changed a lot since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, but one thing has stayed constant: you're not allowed to bring bombs on planes. No, not even fake ones.

A passenger apparently forgot that on Saturday when he packed a high-quality, realistic replica grenade in his checked luggage at Newark Liberty International Airport near New York City.

 

The replica grenade was found by workers at a checked baggage-screening point at the airport's Terminal A, according to Lisa Farbstein, a spokesperson for TSA.

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The TSA reported the grenade to the Port Authority Police Department, which polices the New York City-area airports. As the passenger was removed from the plane and questioned, police officers examined the grenade and confirmed that it was not active. 

Read more: Video shows a toddler who jumped onto an airport luggage belt and was carried back behind the scenes

The passenger was not charged, and there was no disruption to flights or security screening at the terminal. However, the passenger ended up short a fake grenade: prohibited items are not returned to passengers, according to Farbstein.

This was not the only episode of an explosive - real or replica - found at airport security in recent days.

 

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On Monday morning, TSA screeners at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport found a real missile launcher, minus missile, in a passenger's checked bag. The passenger, who is an active-duty servicemember, said that it was a souvenir from Kuwait. After airport police confirmed that there was no live missile in the launcher, officers transferred the device to the state fire marshal for disposal.

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