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TSA finds spent M18 smoke grenade in carry-on at Watertown airport

TSA officers at Watertown International Airport in upstate New York found a spent M18 smoke grenade inside an aerosol container in a passenger's carry-on bag. An explosives expert confirmed it was not live.

2 outlets · 0L · 0C · 2R First reported Account updated
Image: Fox News
Image: New York Post

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The story, neutrally told

Right · 2TSA officers at Watertown International Airport (ART) in upstate New York found a spent M18 smoke grenade hidden inside an aerosol container in a passenger's carry-on bag. Right · 2The discovery was made recently, according to a Sept. 24 release from the Transportation Security Administration. Right · 2TSA Officer Yessenia Alvarez, who was operating the X-ray machine, said she "didn't like how the item appeared" and called over Lead TSA Officer Melissa Graffam. Alvarez said she had seen such items in training scenarios.

Right · 2Graffam said the top of the can "didn't look right but appeared to be empty". The item was in the bag's side pocket, and when she opened it she saw it was an M18 smoke grenade. Right · 1Graffam said the find was unusual for the small airport, where officers typically encounter prohibited items such as knives and oversized liquids. Right · 2According to the TSA, the passenger said they had forgotten the grenade was in the bag. Graffam said she found that strange because the bag held only a few items.

Right · 2Lead TSA Officer Debra Alcock, the acting supervisor, notified the Syracuse TSA Coordination Center and a TSA explosives expert, who confirmed the grenade was not live. The release said it ranked among the most memorable finds of Alcock's time with the agency. Right · 2Brian Bushnell, TSA's federal security director for upstate New York's airports, said "spent, inert or replica explosive items are not allowed through the checkpoint and can cause delays, disrupt operations and prompt a law enforcement response". He advised travelers to leave such items at home or check TSA.gov before packing. Right · 2The coverage says many people believe spent grenades are harmless but officials warn they can still pose risks, and notes the ATF has issued public safety alerts about vintage grenades in particular.

Right · 2Both articles add a separate recent case at Tampa International Airport, where TSA Officer Andrew Carter found a 4-inch, double-edged knife concealed in a baseball bat-shaped flashlight. Keith Jeffries, a former TSA federal security director at Los Angeles International Airport, said of that case: "Do not try to test the system."

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left0 outlets

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Right2 outlets

Framing
Both outlets run the TSA's account as a cautionary travel-security story. The headline calls the item a "dangerous weapon illegally concealed", although the text says the grenade was spent and not live.
Emphasis
Officers' quotes, the passenger's "forgotten" explanation that Graffam found strange, and the TSA warning to check bags. They add a Tampa knife case and a former TSA official's warning.
Leaves out or plays down
Neither article says what happened to the passenger, such as any citation or law enforcement action. Neither gives independent reporting beyond the TSA release.
Charged language
“dangerous weapon illegally concealed”“strange excuse”“startling turn”
For example
“TSA officers at New York's Watertown International Airport found a spent M18 smoke grenade inside a traveler's carry-on bag — and the person had a strange excuse.” — Fox News
“NY airport X-ray exposes dangerous weapon illegally concealed in passenger’s carry-on” — New York Post