TSA intercepts Civil War-era cannonballs in passenger luggage at Alabama airport

Published Aug 3, 05:49 PM UTC

On July 18, 2026, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Alabama's Gulf Shores International Airport discovered five Civil War-era cannonballs in a passenger's checked luggage. The inert projectiles, wrapped in paper towels, were initially feared to be live explosives. TSA officer Justin Dupree recalled his concern, noting the largest was grapefruit-sized. An explosives specialist and the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office determined the cannonballs posed no threat. The passenger claimed ignorance of how the items were acquired. Law enforcement later determined the cannonballs had been stolen from nearby Fort Morgan, a historic coastal stronghold. The artifacts were returned to Fort Morgan. The article also references a 2019 incident where a Florida man attempted to bring a disassembled rocket-propelled grenade onto a flight.