AP News, June 19th, 2006
A belt buckle resembling a hand grenade caused the evacuation of part of a terminal at Salt Lake City International Airport on Monday, officials said.
The lobby and ticket counter areas of Terminal One were evacuated for about an hour after screeners saw a suspicious image while X-raying luggage, said Barbara Gann, a spokeswoman at the airport.
"It was a cast of a hand grenade, so half of a hand grenade and it appeared to be a grenade with a pin," Gann said. "It was wrapped around a bottle of cologne. So, it appeared to be an incendiary device with fuel."
The package was placed in a containment unit, taken to a remote section of the airport where it was detonated and its contents revealed, she said.
Gann said it was unclear how many people might have missed flights or if flights were delayed due to the evacuation.
Airport officials have identified the owner of the items, but that person was traveling ahead of his luggage and likely had no idea the trouble it caused, she said. Authorities were planning on speaking with the man, Gann said.
She said it was not likely that charges would be filed.
"It depends on the intent and the explanation and more of a detailed interview with this person, but most likely not," she said.
Gann said it is important for people to be cautious of what they pack and how it might appear during screening.
"This person wasn't impacted as much as the people who were evacuated," she said. "It was a severe reaction to someone's oversight."
