Transportation Security Administration officers at a US airport have made a discovery straight out of an Indiana Jones film – five historical cannonballs.
The relics were stashed inside a passenger’s check-in luggage at Gulf Shores International Airport in Alabama on July 18.
TSA officer Justin Dupree said he was screening travellers’ luggage when he spotted what appeared to be a large opaque medicine ball.
But a closer look uncovered five small cannonballs wrapped in paper towels that had been stolen from nearby Fort Morgan.
"My first thought was, ‘I couldn’t see a fuse and need to get some help quick'," Dupree said. "I couldn’t see the entire item but was scared I might have been holding a live explosive."
Dupree said he had "never seen anything quite this unique" in his four years on the job.
"I’ve seen inert grenades and training munitions but never an Indiana Jones-esque stolen artefact-type situation."
After contacting the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office for guidance, the cannonballs were found to be inert and did not contain any explosive material or active components.
A police investigation found the passenger was unaware how the items were taken.
The cannonballs were returned to Fort Morgan.
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