TSA finds Civil War-era cannonballs in Alabama traveler's checked luggage

Published Aug 3, 05:49 PM UTC

On July 18, 2026, Transportation Security Administration officers at Alabama's Gulf Shores International Airport discovered five Civil War-era cannonballs in a traveler's checked luggage. The inert projectiles, wrapped in paper towels, triggered alarms during screening. TSA officer Justin Dupree initially feared the items might be live explosives. An explosives specialist and the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office determined the cannonballs posed no threat. Law enforcement reported that the passenger claimed to be unaware of how the projectiles were acquired. The cannonballs were later determined to have been stolen from nearby Fort Morgan and were returned to the historic site. The article also references a 2019 incident where a Florida man attempted to fly with a disassembled rocket-propelled grenade in his checked bag.