A routine security screening at upstate New York's Watertown International Airport (ART) took a startling turn when TSA officers discovered a spent smoke grenade hidden inside an aerosol container in a passenger's carry-on bag.The discovery was made by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers recently, according to a Sept.24 release from the agency.During inspection, officers found the spent M18 smoke grenade.SHARP WEAPON DISCOVERED BY TSA TUCKED INSIDE UNUSUAL ITEM IN PASSENGER'S CARRY-ON BAGIn a statement, TSA Officer Yessenia Alvarez, who was operating the X-ray machine at the time, said she "didn’t like how the item appeared," referring to the unusual-looking aerosol container. "I called over Lead TSA Officer Melissa Graffam and told her I did not have a good feeling about it," said Alvarez.TSA officers recently discovered a spent M18 smoke grenade inside an aerosol container, shown at left, inside a passenger's carry-on bag at a New York airport.
Shown above on the right are, from left, Lead TSA Officers Debra Alcock and Melissa Graffam, as well as TSA Officer Yessenia Alvarez. (TSA ART)"I was very stunned when I saw the item on the screen."The officer added that she had "seen these types of items in training scenarios."AIRPORT X-RAY REVEALS SHOCKING ILLEGAL STASH CONCEALED BESIDE PASSENGER'S XBOXGraffam said the item "looked funny" when she saw it on the X-ray screen."I saw from the image that the top of the can didn’t look right but appeared to be empty," she said."It was located in the side pocket of the bag, so I opened it and saw it was an M18 smoke grenade."Officials worked together to secure the checkpoint after a spent smoke grenade was discovered in an aerosol container inside a passenger's carry-on bag (not pictured).(Bloomberg; Getty Images)Graffam said the discovery was particularly unusual for the small airport, where officers typically encounter prohibited items such as knives and oversized liquids.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR O...