‘EXTREMELY CONCERNING’: Woman tries to bring fireworks, knives and firearms on flight

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If you’ve watched Die Hard recently, it’s always a little surprising to see John McClane and his holstered gun on a plane in the opening scene.

It appears a woman trying to travel to Philadelphia from Los Angeles International Airport thought it was 1988 again because she attempted to bring a “gamut of prohibited items” on the flight.

Officers with the Transportation Security Administration got the shock of their lives when the contents of the traveller’s carry-on bag during a routine X-ray screening showed a bounty of banned items, surprising “even the longest-tenured and most experienced” employee on the clock.

There were 82 consumer-grade fireworks, three knives, two replica firearms, and one canister of pepper spray, according to the agency.

“Not one of these items is needed in the cabin of an aircraft and the fireworks don’t belong on a plane at all,” TSA Pacific, which covers the U.S.’s west and Rocky Mountain regions, wrote on X before pointing readers to the agency’s “What Can I Bring?” page.

“The sheer number of prohibited items discovered in a single carry-on bag is extremely concerning,” LAX TSA federal security director Jason Pantages said in a statement of the Dec. 15 incident.

“This traveller should have followed TSA’s tried and true advice — unpack your bag before you pack it to ensure you don’t bring any prohibited items to the security checkpoint.”

TSA notified the Los Angeles World Airport police department who dispatched officers to the checkpoint where they interviewed the passenger.

The LAWA bomb squad also responded to confiscate the fireworks.

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The TSA noted that while fireworks are a type of explosive and never allowed on board an aircraft, knives and replica firearms are permitted but should be in a checked bag.

Also, one four-ounce container of pepper spray is permitted in checked baggage but must be equipped with a safety mechanism to prevent it from being discharged accidentally — though some airlines do not allow for transport of pepper spray of any size, so travellers are encouraged to contact the airline itself.