PA man in FBI custody after allegedly attempting to bring explosives on a flight
A Pennslyvania man is facing federal criminal charges after allegedly trying to sneak an explosive device hidden in a suitcase on a flight to Florida, NPR reports.
Officials say Marc Muffley has been charged with "possessing an explosive in an airport and possessing or attempting to place an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft," per the criminal complaint. Prosecutors say the device was found hidden in the lining of a suitcase Muffley checked in at Lehigh Valley International Airport for a flight bound for Orlando Sanford International Airport in Florida.
An alarm triggered during security screening alerted Transportation Security Administration agents to the device. After examining the luggage the agents found 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, among other items," court documents stated. After x-raying the bag, an FBI safety bomb technician concluded that the device contained a powder consistent with a "commercial grade firework," and that there was a fuse attached to the circular device. Authorities said the suitcase also held "a can of butane, a lighter, a pipe with white powder residue, a wireless drill with cordless batteries, and two GFCI outlets taped together with black tape." GFCI outlets are a type of circuit breaker, per NPR.
TSA paged Muffley over the airport intercom system, but he did not show up, and security cameras caught him leaving the airport shortly after. "The FBI arrested Marc Muffley, 40, without incident at his Lansford, [Pennsylvania], residence late Monday night," a spokesperson told CNN. He remains in custody, the FBI spokesperson added, and will make his first court appearance on Thursday.
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