Transportation Security Administration officers at an Alabama airport discovered five Civil War-era cannonballs inside a passenger’s checked luggage, prompting a bomb scare and a police investigation. The highly unusual find was made on July 18 at Gulf Shores International Airport when Lead TSA Officer Justin Dupree spotted the projectiles during an X-ray screening. Unsure whether they were live explosives, he immediately alerted TSA bomb specialists and local law enforcement. The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed the cannonballs were inert and posed no explosive threat. “That would have to be the weirdest thing in our short existence that we’ve ever had come through TSA,” said Airport Director Jesse Fosnaugh. Investigators determined the artifacts had been taken from nearby Fort Morgan, a historic Civil War fort and museum where removing relics is prohibited. Authorities said the passenger, identified only as a woman from out of state, claimed the cannonballs had been picked up at a roadside stand and was unaware they had been taken from the historic site. “I don’t think there was any ill will from the passenger in this case based on the story they told us,” Fosnaugh said. “I’ve been to many watermelon stands on the side of the road, and they didn’t give me watermelons and cannonballs.” The passenger was ultimately allowed to board the flight after the items were deemed safe, and the cannonballs were returned to Fort Morgan. No criminal charges were pursued.
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