A Pennsylvania man has been arrested after staff at the Lehigh Valley International Airport discovered explosives in his checked luggage on Monday.
Mark Muffley, 40, has been in FBI custody since Monday night. Court documents obtained by CNN claim the luggage checked by Muffley was bound for Orlando, Fla., but triggered an alarm meant to alert staff of potential explosives.
The filing claims Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel located a “circular compound, approximately three inches in diameter, wrapped in a wax-like paper and clear plastic wrap hidden in the lining of the baggage.”
The luggage also reportedly contained a can of butane, a lighter, a pipe with white powder residue, a wireless drill with cordless batteries, and two GFCI outlets wrapped together in black tape.
Bomb technicians determined the luggage contained “a live explosive device,” the TSA said in a statement. The circular compound was reportedly filled with flash powder and a type of powder “consistent with a commercial grade firework.”
A “hobby fuse” was also attached to the device.
Though he checked the baggage, Muffley never boarded the plane. TSA agents paged Muffley over the airport intercom, but he failed to report to the security desk. Soon after he was paged, court documents claim security camera footage showed him leaving the airport.
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He was arrested at his home later that night. It is unclear if Muffley has a lawyer to provide comment.
Following the discovery of the explosives in the checked luggage, the TSA said part of the airport was evacuated “out of an abundance of caution.”
“Transportation Security Officers are highly trained and highly skilled professionals at the front line of aviation security who are focused on their mission and catches such as this illustrate the point,” TSA federal security director Karen Keys-Turner said in the TSA statement.
“This is an example of how the strong partnerships we have established with the airport authority, FBI and local law enforcement came together to ensure the safety and security of the traveling public. I commend our entire TSA team at Lehigh Valley International Airport and the professional manner in which this incident was handled.”
Muffley will appear in court on Thursday for a probable cause and detention hearing.
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