TSA officer finds hidden surprise inside bat-shaped flashlight in carry-on luggage

NewsA TSA agent found a knife inside a baseball bat-shaped flashlight at Tampa International Airport in Florida recently.APBy Katherine Rodriguez | NJ.comA TSA officer discovered a hidden surprise inside a passenger’s carry-on luggage at Tampa International Airport.According to a press release from TSA, the TSA was scanning the carry-on when they noticed something odd about the passenger’s baseball-bat shaped flashlight.The flashlight turned out to be concealing a knife.“After emptying the contents of the bag on one side, I felt a mass under the lining,” said Supervisory TSA Officer Michael Slaughter in a statement. “I opened the bag’s lining and found a toiletry kit along with the baseball bat-style flashlight. I noticed a line on the shaft of the flashlight and began twisting the handle. That is when it detached from the flashlight, revealing a 4-inch double-edged knife integrated into the handle.”The agency recently posted on social media Thursday to share photos of the find and discourage passengers from bringing the banned item through the checkpoints.“NOT a HIT,” the caption began. “In any carry-on bag. Our officers at TPA Airport were calling foul when they discovered this bat-knife-large flashlight hidden in the lining of a passenger’s carry-on bag. Keeping this heavy hitter in a checked bag is a homerun in our book!”The passenger initially denied having the item in his luggage, but later admitted to hiding it.Police arrested the passenger, who was not allowed to board the plane.DOT pilots AI-powered air traffic management tool to reduce flight delays and cancellationsOver 1,274 flights delayed, 184 canceled amid widespread U.S. travel disruptionsTSA officer’s sharp eye uncovers surprising find inside passenger’s checked luggageOver 1,358 flights delayed, 85 canceled amid widespread U.S. travel disruptionsTravel advisory: Visitors to Southeast Asian nation urged to ‘exercise increased caution’Katherine Rodriguez covers national trending news for the consumer life, finance and money team. For 5+ years now, Katherine has covered trending topics such as travel advisories, TSA-related news, recalls, the...