Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers discovered a sword blade hidden within a cane at Boston Logan International Airport on Apr. 5.
During a routine search, the blade was discovered when the cane passed through an X-ray machine. The cane’s owner, a Massachusetts resident on his way to New York, said he “had no idea the blade was in there,” according to a tweet from TSA spokesperson Dan Velez. After questioning by Massachusetts State Police, the man surrendered the cane and was submitted to a follow-up check, after which he was free to continue traveling.
TSA regulations prohibit the presence of bladed weaponry in carry-on luggage but are allowed in checked baggage. However, blades concealed within mundane objects are not uncommon. On Apr. 7, just two days after the discovery of the sword cane, a dagger blade was found within a hairbrush at Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport.
“Being well-groomed and well-armed are two very different things. The TSA has no issue with travelers bringing hairbrushes through a checkpoint, just not ones that conceal daggers as part of the brush handle,” TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said in a tweet.
“In [that] instance, as in most other instances, the traveler voluntarily surrendered the item to a TSA officer and was then able to complete screening and catch their flight,” an anonymous TSA representative told Nexstar.
“Some carry-on items may be prohibited even if they appear not to be, like a cane with a hidden sword,” reads the Travel Tips section of the TSA’s website.
