[chris]

Wonder what he was up to? Headed to Florida, of course.

An explosive device was found in a checked piece of luggage at Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley International Airport on Monday, according to a criminal complaint.

The passenger, Mark Muffley of Lansford, Pennsylvania, is now in FBI custody, officials said.

Muffley, 40, was set to take an Allegiant flight from eastern Pennsylvania to Florida's Orlando Sanford International Airport.

The device hidden in the bag's lining was a circular compound, about 3 inches in diameter, that had two fuses and powder concealed in wax paper and plastic wrap, according to the criminal complaint.

The "powder is suspected to be a mixture of flash powder and the dark granulars that are used in commercial grade fireworks," the complaint said. "The black powder and flash powder are susceptible to ignite from heat and friction and posed a significant risk to the aircraft and passengers."

A photo of Mark Muffley, 40, of Lansford, Pennsylvania, released in a criminal complaint.
US District Court for Eastern Pennsylvania
The bag also had "a can of butane, a lighter, a pipe with white powder residue, a wireless drill with cordless batteries, and two GFCI outlets taped together with black tape," the complaint said.

An airport spokesperson said the suspicious package was discovered shortly after 11 a.m. Monday and the west side of the airport's main terminal was shut down.

Muffley was paged over the airport’s public system to come to the security desk, the criminal complaint said. Five minutes later, security cameras showed Muffley leaving the airport, the complaint said.

The package was removed from the airport and the closed portion of the terminal reopened shortly before 2 p.m., the spokesperson said.

Muffley was arrested at his home Monday night, the FBI said. He's charged with possession of an explosive in an airport and possessing, or attempting to place, or attempting to have placed an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft. He is due in court on Thursday afternoon.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/man-stoppe...ry?id=97562616

[kellyhound]

something tells me he cuts his own hair and trimming his beard in an unusual way

[houseoftechno]

Unless the "two fuses" was an over simplification, it appears that the nutcase forgot to pack a trigger device in his package.

[zeb247]

Originally Posted by kellyhound ↗

something tells me he cuts his own hair and trimming his beard in an unusual way

Mutton chops I guess.

[Pyramid_Head]

I wonder if the idiot was planning to blow up the plane mid-flight?

[chris]

Now people are saying it was some kind of homemade firework. So maybe he's just an idiot.

[houseoftechno]

Originally Posted by chris ↗

Now people are saying it was some kind of homemade firework. So maybe he's just an idiot.

That seems likely. After all he was heading to Florida, a place where you can light off a suitcase full of anything, and zero fawks would be given.

[houseoftechno]

Lansford PA. His haircut and chops look Amish-inspired. Maybe he is a shunned Dutchy. If single, they are not allowed to sport a full beard.

[William May]

Originally Posted by houseoftechno ↗

Lansford PA. His haircut and chops look Amish-inspired. Maybe he is a shunned Dutchy. If single, they are not allowed to sport a full beard.

But they ARE encouraged to carry explosives with them everywhere.

[kellyhound]

A defense lawyer suggested that Muffley only wanted to set off fireworks on a Florida beach, where he said the one-time construction worker sometimes cares for an ailing grandfather.

However, U.S. Magistrate Pamela A. Carlos agreed to detain him without bail, finding that Muffley was both a flight risk and a danger to the community.

Authorities said the fact the explosive powder was packed in the same checked bag with the other items increased the risk of an explosion.

“The baggage also contained a can of butane, a lighter, a pipe with white powder residue suspected to be methamphetamine, a wireless drill with cordless batteries, and two GFCI outlets taped together with black tape,” prosecutors wrote in a detention memorandum filed Thursday.