Grenade Leads to Evacuation of Kentucky Airport: Was it Real?

A passenger was denied boarding at Northern Kentucky International Airport in Hebron on Tuesday night after a hand grenade was found in a carry-on bag, according to reports by the Associated Press. At around 7:30 pm, the Delta Airlines terminal was briefly evacuated after the grenade was spotted through a routine baggage screening.

According to the Kentucky Inquirer, Transportation Security Administration officials looked for a detonator, while the airport was evacuated, and found that the device was no longer an explosive risk. No flights were canceled or delayed because of the incident, and the grenade was confiscated.

While the some reports from CBS's Local 12 News in Cincinnati claim that the grenade was fake, agents called it a replica grenade, no one is facing charges, and that officials do not know how the grenade ended up in the terminal, the Kentucky Inquirer reported that the passenger was released but is now under investigation by the TSA. No further information has been released about the passenger.

Although the grenade posed no immediate harm to passengers or the airport, the incident takes place in the midst of a new passenger screening program, which is is exanding to airports across the country. The government announced on Wednesday that 28 more airports have joined the program, which involves more hassle free security procedures before boarding flights.