SAN FRANCISCO—SFO International Airport had a scare on Sunday, August 23, when a toy hand grenade was discovered in a passenger’s luggage at a security checkpoint.

The airport issued an alert stating that a suspicious item had been discovered at Terminal 2’s checkpoint, airport security closed and evacuated the terminal causing over two hours worth of delays for passengers.

SFO issued an alert stating that a suspicious item had been found at Terminal 2. <br>Image courtesy of flySFO @flySFO via Twitter
SFO issued an alert stating that a suspicious item had been found at Terminal 2.
Image courtesy of flySFO @flySFO via Twitter

Employees at the terminal’s ticket counters remained open for operation. Passengers in Terminal 2 were rerouted to boarding area C in Terminal 1, which is connected by a passenger walkway.

Disgruntled flight passengers took pictures of the security checkpoint delays caused by the investigation. 

Photo courtesy of Jessica Verrilli @Jess via Twitter
Photo courtesy of Jessica Verrilli @Jess via Twitter
Photo courtesy of Simone Borges @Simone4Target via Twitter
Photo courtesy of Simone Borges @Simone4Target via Twitter

The terminal was reopened two hours after the alert was issued, stating that “the suspicious item in T2 [had] been cleared.” Police had removed the suspicious item and reopened all security checkpoints around 2 p.m.

The San Francisco News spoke with Airport Duty Manager, Jeff Fagone, who commented that “the item belonged to a single passenger, who was later removed by authorities and taken in for questioning.” When asked about SFO’s security measures and procedures, Fagone stated that “we pride ourselves on proper safety procedures, and to my knowledge, there has never been an incident that has threatened the public because we act swiftly and follow all procedures.”

SFO had faced a similar situation on July 28, when a suspicious, unattended bag was found on the upper level of Terminal 2. The incident did not result in any injuries, but prompted closures of the SFO Bart station and southbound 101 airport ramps.