A man in FBI custody has reportedly admitted to knowingly packing an explosive in his checked luggage at the Lehigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania on Monday.
Marc Muffley, 40, was arrested at his home only hours after the explosive device was discovered by Transportation Security Administration staff amid flight baggage bound for Orlando, Fla. When the explosive was found, Muffley was paged to the airport security desk but was instead captured on security cameras as he tried to leave the airport.
The airport was temporarily evacuated, and Muffley was arrested later at his home.
Muffley appeared in court on Thursday by video from the Lehigh County Jail. Charges against Muffley were read aloud at the hearing: possession of an explosive and attempting to place it on a plane.
The arresting officer, FBI Special Agent Eddie Garcia, told the court that Muffley, whom he had interviewed, “was aware of the explosive” in the luggage.
“He knew it was in his bag and was not allowed,” Garcia said.
Muffley’s lawyer, Jonathan McDonald, said there was no lab report to prove the device in Muffley’s bag was an explosive. Instead, he said the item was “just a firework in a bag.”
Court documents claim TSA personnel were alerted to Muffley’s checked luggage when it triggered an alarm meant to detect explosives. TSA and bomb technicians allegedly 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. As per a TSA statement, bomb technicians determined the luggage contained “a live explosive device.” The circular compound was reportedly filled with flash powder and a type of powder “consistent with a commercial grade firework.”
There were reportedly two fuses on the circular compound, a “quick fuse” that authorities believe was on the device when it was manufactured, and a “hobby fuse” that appears to have been added later. McDonald told the court there was “no system on this object to cause the fuse to be lit.”
The FBI claimed “both the black powder and flash powder are susceptible to ignite from heat and friction and posed a significant risk to the aircraft and passengers.”
According to the BBC, U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero said in a memo that Muffley called his girlfriend for a ride home from the airport, then quickly changed his phone number for fear he would be arrested.
Romero requested Muffley be detained without bail. Muffley’s lawyer suggested he be released and claimed he is not a flight risk, adding that he would be willing to wear an ankle monitor.