Official: 'Suspicious' object disrupts MacArthur checkpoint
A TSA checkpoint at Long Island MacArthur Airport was briefly shut down Wednesday after a belt buckle that resembled a grenade was found in a carry-on bag. Credit: MacArthur Airport
A belt buckle in a carry-on bag that closely resembled a grenade led officials to briefly shut down a TSA checkpoint at Long Island MacArthur Airport early Wednesday morning, delaying three flights, according to a photograph and a town official.
“The TSA closed [the checkpoint] for about 30 minutes. The Suffolk County bomb squad came and investigated,” Town of Islip spokeswoman Caroline Smith said by telephone.
The shutdown, which lasted from about 5:20 a.m. to 5:50 a.m., kept passengers waiting for two Southwest flights and one Frontier Airlines flight, she said.
“Everything is back to normal,” Smith said.
In a statement, Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter said, "We at the Town of Islip want the public to be comfortable knowing that we operate with an abundance of caution guarding the safety of our ISP passengers.”
Correction: The Transportation Security Administration briefly shut down a checkpoint at Long Island MacArthur Airport Wednesday. A previous version of this story was incorrect.
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