Bomb scare at Houston airport turns out to be toy grenade

Houston airport shut down.
(Image credit: iStock)

Passengers at Houston's William P. Hobby Airport had an early morning scare when a bomb threat rocked the security line.

The threat ended up being a toy grenade, stuffed in the suitcase of a 17-year-old Boy Scout, local NBC affiliate WTHR and The Associated Press reported Thursday. A TSA agent spotted the suspicious object around 4:35 a.m. CT and shouted to "shut it down," says an AP reporter who was at the airport. Waiting passengers were told to "clear out," creating a huge backup and delaying 15 flights.

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Once the bomb squad ensured the item was just a toy, passengers were allowed to head to their flights, says AP. The Scout was questioned afterward, but it's unclear if he'll face penalties for the scare.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.