Man arrested after 'artfully' hiding firearm parts in LEGO box at NJ airport: TSA

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A Mississippi man was arrested on Wednesday after TSA officers found disassembled gun parts inside a boot and a LEGO box at Newark Liberty International Airport, according to officials.

The TSA officer detected a fully disassembled 9mm firearm in a carry-on bag at a checkpoint in Terminal A as the man’s duffle bag entered the X-ray machine.

The gun frame was in the bottom of a boot below a sock that had been stuffed behind it. The gun’s slide, spring and gun magazine loaded with 12 bullets were detected mixed among the plastic pieces of a Black Panther LEGO set.

The suspect initially claimed it was a toy gun, then later stated that it belonged to his brother, according to Thomas Carter, TSA’s Federal Security Director for New Jersey.

Port Authority Police were alerted, confiscated the items, and arrested the man, who was ticketed to fly to Atlanta. Police did not share details about the suspect.

“This is an example of someone who was intentionally attempting to carry a gun onto a flight,” Carter said.“Regardless of his claims, what I can tell you is that it was a fully disassembled firearm that he could easily have assembled and used on a plane. Not only does this individual face criminal charges from the police, but he also will face a stiff federal financial civil penalty that is likely to set him back several thousands of dollars.”

The federal penalty for bringing a weapon to a TSA checkpoint can cost as much as $15,000, depending on the circumstances.