A checked bag at Richmond International Airport on Saturday, October 22, triggered an alarm and needed to be pulled off of the conveyor belt so that a Transportation Security Administration officer could get a better look at what was inside. The image on the X-ray machine was very, very suspicious.
When the bag was opened, the TSA officer was shocked to see what appeared to be a suicide vest, two guns and an old military manual on incendiary devices.
TSA explosives experts went to the checked baggage room and Richmond International Airport Police were called immediately. Fortunately, the explosives experts determined the items posed no danger. What was designed to look like a suicide vest was a prop; the guns were plastic replicas. Police tracked down the traveler at the gate and detained him for questioning by local law enforcement and the FBI. The man, a resident of Henrico County, Virginia, told officials that the items were all props intended for use in a live-action, role playing game. Very realistic props.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screens approximately 2 million passengers and their luggage every day for prohibited items, including weapons and explosives.