TSA catches passenger with throwing star in carry-on luggage at DC airport
The incident took place on Jan. 8, the TSA confirmed
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Now is truly not the time to test the TSA.
A traveler departing from Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., was recently stopped at security after officers with the Transportation Security Administration found a throwing star among the passenger’s carry-on items.
The item, which was described as having "retractable razor-sharp blades," was confiscated, said Lisa Farbstein, the TSA spokesperson for the Northeast region.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Farbstein also confirmed to Fox News that the incident occurred on Jan. 8.
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"The traveler was not permitted to bring it through the checkpoint," she told Fox News. "We encourage people to know what is in their carry-on bags. If someone is unsure if an item can be packed in a checked bag or carry-on bag, they can go to the TSA web site, where there is a 'What Can I Bring?' link and type in an item to find out whether it can go in a checked or carry-on bag."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Officers with the TSA at Reagan Airport stopped a traveler with a "razor-sharp" throwing star in a carry-on bag. The item, seen above, was confiscated at the checkpoint. (Transportation Security Administration)
Farbstein had previously stated on Twitter that the passenger was cited by police, though she later told the New York Post the traveler was not cited, as throwing stars are legal to possess in Virginia, where Reagan Airport is located.
Legal to possess or not, such items are among the many items prohibited from carry-on baggage, as specifically noted on the TSA’s website. They are, however, allowed in checked baggage but "should be sheathed or securely wrapped to prevent injury to baggage handlers and inspectors."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Farbstein shared news of the throwing-star incident the same day that the administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a "zero tolerance" policy for unruly passengers in the wake of increasing instances of disruption, harassment and noncompliance with mask mandates.
Many of these incidents were perpetrated on flights to, or leaving from, the Washington, D.C., area around the time of the Capitol rioting on Jan. 6, according to several major airlines and a flight attendants union.
"We will no longer adjudicate certain of these unruly passenger cases with counseling or warnings," FAA Chief Steve Dickson told Reuters. "We’re going to go straight to enforcement."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dickson also warned that offending passengers could face up to $35,000 in fines, or possible jail time, under a new order slated to be in effect through March 30.
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A number of major airlines have also amended their policies on flights to the D.C. area ahead of the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, including American Airlines, which is no longer offering alcohol on such flights and will be moving its crews out of the D.C. area during the inauguration; and Delta Air Lines, which has banned passengers from traveling with checked firearms on flights to D.C., CEO Ed Bastian confirmed in an interview with CBNC.