TSA removes nunchucks, saw blades and more from carry-on bag at LaGuardia

Forget that soda bottle or errant tube of toothpaste.
One airline passenger thought it was a dandy idea to place a six-pack of sharp or potentially dangerous items into his carry-on bag at LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Sunday.
It was quite the array, totaling three saw blades, one pair of nunchucks, a switchblade and a folding knife for good measure.
However, the Transportation Security Administration doesn't approve of such things as carry-ons. The items were caught during pre-departure screening, and the agency later sent out a "lump of coal" chastisement on Twitter highlighting the incident:
"A lump of coal for this guy for the holiday. Six prohibited items among a traveler's carry-on items at @LGAairport on Sunday - 3 saw blades, nunchucks, a switchblade and a knife that folds into a bullet-shaped sheath. @TSA recommends packing these items in a checked bag."
TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein, who posted the tweet, told CNN Travel in an email Monday afternoon that the items were not illegal, but are prohibited in carry-on bags. They are allowed, however, in travelers' checked luggage.
"So no arrest. The individual repacked them in a checked bag and continued their trip as planned," Farbstein said.
What reason did the traveler have for such a stash in their carry-on? "They said they were moving," Farbstein said.
A CORNUCOPIA OF ITEMS
It remains to be seen if this passenger's array of sharps would be among the TSA's most unusual recent finds.
Each year, TSA releases its "Top 10 Catches," a roundup of the most bizarre items the agency has confiscated. While there's still most of another month to go for weird items to surface for 2022, TSA's 2021 list included:
- Bullets hidden in a deodorant stick.
- A breakfast burrito — with meth in it.
- A can of bear spray.
Click here to find out what the other seven items were.
So next time you're flying and you have an urge to put that baseball bat, bowling pin and boxing gloves in your carry-on, check here first and find out which one of the three is allowed.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada tracked suspected Chinese spy balloon over Canadian airspace since last weekend: sources
The suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that was found floating over sensitive military sites in the western United States had been tracked by Canada's government since last weekend as it passed through Canadian airspace, sources tell CTV News.

Oldest preserved vertebrate brain found in 319-million-year-old fish fossil
The oldest preserved vertebrate brain has been found in a 319-million-year-old fossilized fish skull that was removed from an English coal mine over a century ago.
Former NHL-er Ted Nolan among Indigenous players honoured in new hockey card series
It took 40 years, but former NHL player and coach Ted Nolan is now one of eight Indigenous ex-NHL-ers being honoured hockey trading cards as a part of Upper Deck's First Peoples Rookie Card series.
B.C. man who was mistaken for target, shot by police in 2013 has lawsuit dismissed
A B.C. man who was mistaken for the target in a police takedown and shot by an officer in 2013 has had his lawsuit alleging negligence dismissed.
Bodies are those of 3 rappers missing nearly 2 weeks: Detroit police
Three bodies found in a vacant Detroit-area apartment building have been identified as those of three aspiring rappers who went missing nearly two weeks ago, police said Friday.
Maid's son tells judge Alex Murdaugh took US$4M for her death
For much of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial, witnesses have talked about a generous and loving man -- but prosecutors want jurors to know that same man stole over US$4 million from his housekeeper's relatives after she died at work, and killed his wife and son to cover up his crimes.
Japanese prime minister's aide leaving over LGBTQ2S+ remarks
A senior aide to Japan's prime minister is being dismissed after making discriminatory remarks about LGBTQ2S+ people.
Jury: Musk didn't defraud investors with 2018 Tesla tweets
A jury on Friday decided Elon Musk didn't deceive investors with his 2018 tweets about electric automaker Tesla.
Stars disappearing before our eyes faster than ever: report
A new research from a citizen science program suggests that stars are disappearing before our eyes at an 'astonishing rate.'