A US citizen somehow made it to LAX with a veritable arsenal in his luggage before finally being taken into custody by law enforcement officials.
Yongda Huang Harris, a naturalized US citizen who lives in Boston, was stopped at LAX after it was discovered that he was wearing riot gear and that his luggage contained several dangerous weapons. The 28-year-old was flying in from Japan, was arrested Friday, and is expected to make his initial appearance in US District Court in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon, reports the L.A. Times .
Harris somehow made it through Kansai International Airport’s security with biohazard suits and body bags in his carry-on as well as “a pyrotechnic smoke grenade, three leather-coated billy clubs, a collapsible baton, a full-face respirator, various knives, a hatchet, handcuffs, leg irons and a device to repel dogs.” US customs agents also noted that he was wearing a bulletproof vest, knee pads, and flame-retardant pants, notes MSN .
Los Angeles Police Department’s bomb squad examined the smoke grenade, finding it to be a prohibited device because it could fill the cabin of an airplane with smoke or cause a fire. A formal investigation has been opened by special agents of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations unit working in conjunction with HSI’s attache office in Tokyo.
Harris is charged with one count of transporting hazardous materials that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
