Civil War cannonballs found in woman’s bag at airport

Five stolen Civil War cannonballs were recovered from a woman's bag at Gulf Shores International Airport in Alabama, US, Samaa TV reported on Tuesday (August 4).

The report said that on July 18, during a security check at the airport, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer found a suspicious object on an X-ray scan. Later, five small cannonballs were found in the bag. The matter was immediately reported to higher-ranking officials.

TSA officer Justin Dupre said that he had previously seen inactivated hand grenades and ammunition used in training, but this was the first time he had seen historical and stolen military items recovered at the airport.

He said that the recovered cannonballs did not contain any explosives and were inactivated. However, they are considered military ammunition and are prohibited from being carried on airplanes.

A police investigation revealed that the shells were stolen from Fort Morgan. Officials confirmed that they were historical artifacts from the American Civil War. Police said a teenager took the shells from Fort Morgan's archives and put them in his grandmother's bag.

The woman told police that she had no idea about the stolen cannonballs in her bag.