MIAMI — A 37-year-old man was arrested after bullet parts exploded inside his checked luggage after his flight from Boston landed at Miami International Airport around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, police said.
Miami-Dade police said something exploded inside the bag while it was on the tarmac. A preliminary investigation suggested it was an aerosol can, but bomb squad officers examining the bag at the airport found something different.
Federal authorities said the parts were bullet primers, which are the part of a bullet that creates a spark to ignite the gun powder inside a bullet. The passenger had been transporting hundreds of primers in his checked bag.
The incident has no connection to terrorism.
According to the Associated Press, the passenger is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was traveling Tuesday on an American Airlines flight from Boston to Miami that was continuing to Jamaica. His name was not released.
No one was injured.
NBC Miami reported that the bag contained 500-700 primers and that the explosion sent metal debris flying through the air.
Federal authorities said they believe that one of the volatile primers exploded when a baggage handler put it down on the tarmac, setting off a chain reaction, igniting the other primers, but not all of them ignited.
The flight was American Airlines Flight 2585.
According to Transportation Security Administration, the passenger was being questioned by police yesterday. There was no word on whether charges would be brought against him.
It is not illegal to transport bullets or even guns on passenger flights. According to TSA, guns and ammo must be declared when passengers check their baggage, and ammunition must be stored in a box or case specifically designed for carrying it.
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