Crime

TSA at Logan confiscates ‘smoking gun’ — a gun-shaped hookah pipe

A TSA New England spokesperson called the incident a “travel fail” and said the device never made it onto the aircraft.

May 27, 2023

Security officials at Boston Logan International Airport recently discovered a “smoking gun” in a passenger’s belongings during a pre-flight screening.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents confiscated what turned out to be a smoking pipe shaped like a replica handgun Thursday as the airport geared up for a busy travel weekend.

“Yesterday @TSA officers @BostonLogan detected this replica pistol hookah during security screening. This smoking gun never made it onto the aircraft! #travelfail,” TSA Spokesperson Dan Velez tweeted Friday morning.

Velez shared a photo of the pipe, which was placed next to a plastic spray bottle for scale.

Yesterday @TSA officers @BostonLogan detected this replica pistol hookah during security screening. This smoking gun never made it onto the aircraft! #travelfail pic.twitter.com/NPUijkRygy
— TSA_NewEngland (@TSA_NewEngland) May 26, 2023

The teal-blue apparatus resembles a firearm with a metal mouthpiece attachment, presumably meant for smoking.

On Thursday, Velez shared another image of some questionable paraphernalia seized by TSA agents. Among them were several knives, a handgun, and brass knuckles.

Folks walking by our table @BostonLogan are quite intrigued by what some passengers have in their carry-on bags. #travelfail pic.twitter.com/G2bKWsD9YZ
— TSA_NewEngland (@TSA_NewEngland) May 25, 2023

“Folks walking by our table @BostonLogan are quite intrigued by what some passengers have in their carry-on bags,” Velez tweeted, adding the hashtag #travelfail.

AAA projects this weekend will be the third busiest Memorial Day travel weekend since 2000. More than 42 million Americans are expected to travel more than 50 miles from home — about 2.7 million more travelers than last year.