A routine carry-on screening at a Texas airport took an unusual turn after TSA officers made a suspicious discovery and later heard an unexpected explanation from the travelers.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL) found a pocketknife concealed inside a tube of toothpaste, according to an employee story published on the agency's website.
TSA Officer Jazmine Kramer was screening the carry-on bag with an X-ray machine when she noticed what appeared to be a metal object near the toiletries and flagged the bag for a closer look.
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"Usually when people have prohibited items in their bags, it's by accident," Kramer said in the write-up on the site. "It's not normally because they intentionally put something there thinking it will make it through."
Wade Brown, Jr., a security training instructor, searched the toiletry bag but initially could not find the object seen on the X-ray.
Brown sent the belongings through the X-ray machine again to narrow down its location.
He then picked up the toothpaste tube, noticed it did not feel right and spotted tape near one end, according to TSA.
A closer inspection revealed the pocketknife hidden inside.
Fox News Digital reached out to TSA for comment and further details.
The married couple who owned the bag told officers their son had suggested concealing the knife inside the toothpaste tube in an attempt to get it through airport security, TSA said.
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"I was super surprised when they both said that," Brown said. "This was the first time at DAL I had ever seen someone intentionally hide an item inside something else in an attempt to get it through security."
The couple voluntarily surrendered the pocketknife.
They were then allowed to continue on to their flight, according to TSA.
Brown said the incident highlighted the importance of communication between officers when something detected on an X-ray cannot immediately be found during a hands-on bag search.
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"If one officer sees something and another officer cannot locate it during the search, work together and communicate until you find it," he said.
TSA Dallas Love Field Federal Security Director Amy Williams said officers must be prepared for unexpected discoveries during screenings.
"A knife concealed inside a toothpaste tube is not something travelers typically encounter, but it is exactly the type of threat our officers are trained to identify and resolve," Williams said.
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Fox News Digital previously reported on another unusual knife discovery at an airport checkpoint, this time involving a passenger at Tampa International Airport.
TSA officers recently found a 4-inch, double-edged knife concealed inside a baseball bat-shaped flashlight that had been placed beneath the lining of the passenger's carry-on bag.
The passenger initially said he did not know the item was in his luggage but later told authorities he had placed it beneath the suitcase lining to save space.
He was arrested and was not allowed to travel, TSA said.
