TSA busts assault rifile, ammo hidden in suitcase at Newark Airport

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
TSA finds assault rifle, ammunition hidden in suitcase
It happened Monday at Newark Airport.

NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- TSA agents at Newark Airport stopped a passenger allegedly trying to hide an assault rifle and ammunition in the lining of a suitcase.

The discovery was made inside the lining of a checked bag Monday.

The rifle was found along with a high capacity magazine and boxes of hollow-point bullets, all of which are illegal in New Jersey.

The passenger and a person he was traveling with were arrested and the weapon was confiscated.

"Our TSA officers are very skilled at detecting firearms and other prohibited items," said Tom Carter, TSA's Federal Security Director for New Jersey. "In this case, they detected an assault rifle, which is illegal in New Jersey; a high-capacity magazine, which is also illegal in New Jersey; four boxes of hollow-point bullets, again, illegal in New Jersey; three magazines, one of which was fully loaded; and two additional boxes of rifle ammunition. This was an incredibly good catch on the part of our officers because the traveler attempted to evade detection by concealing the items beneath the lining of his suitcase."

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