Inert Grenades Allegedly Discovered in Man’s Luggage at Airport

(RepublicanView.org) – A Hawaiian airport was evacuated on July 9 when authorities found grenades in a passenger’s luggage. Transportation Security Administration agents found the devices in a 41-year-old man’s bags and closed the facility to await bomb squad investigations and clearance. Police subsequently arrested Akito Fukushima of Kanazawa, Japan, on the charge of first-degree terroristic threatening.

Local bomb experts declared the grenades “inert” and incapable of exploding. A statement from airport officials on Twitter noted that the passenger was traveling to a destination outside of the United States but did not say where.

Authorities issued a reminder that “replicas of explosives, such as hand grenades, are prohibited in checked and carry-on baggage.”

Grenades are small hand-held explosives used in close combat battles at short range. Their name is derived from the French word for the Pomegranate fruit, which the bombs resemble. They were first used by soldiers in the 15th century and were found to be particularly effective in attacks against small groups of gathered troops. By the 17th century, European armies trained soldiers as specified grenade throwers. These troops became known as grenadiers.

In the US, grenades are regulated under the National Firearms Act, first introduced in 1934 but updated in 1968 when grenade ownership was explicitly outlawed.

Last year, Delaware State Police arrested a 20-year-old man for pacing up and down outside a store with a suspicious item visible in his pocket. Laurel Police officers subsequently arrested Brandon Johnson and recovered a grenade and a knife concealed in his clothing.

Crimes involving grenades have become increasingly prevalent in Sweden. Swedish law enforcement noted 134 grenade attacks in the previously peaceful Scandinavian nation from January to early October 2023, up from 90 in the whole of 2022. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has addressed the issue and promised action, but Politico indicated in 2023 that a lack of progress was harming confidence in the leader.