Woman tries to bring 'souvenir' WWII bomb onto a plane
A young woman heading back home to the US sparked a major bomb scare when she tried boarding a plane with a World War II explosive she found while hiking in the Austrian Alps and wanted to keep as a souvenir.
The 24-year-old tourist shocked a customs officer when she was asked at the x-ray control if she had any electronic devices in her bag and she asked if the WWII high-explosive shell counted.
When officers realised what she was about to take on board the flight from Vienna International Airport to the US, they ordered an immediate evacuation.
The young woman said she had found the shell while wandering in the area near the Dachstein Mountain in Lower Austria and had decided to keep it as a souvenir.
She reportedly told the customs officers she had even washed it in her hotel room afterwards so as not to get her suitcase dirty.
Police spokesman Walter Schwarzenecker said that bomb disposal officials were alerted straight away.
Vienna International Airport spokesman Peter Kleemann confirmed the device was a WWII high-explosive shell which was a dud and posed no danger.
But police still closed off parts of the terminals and the luggage hall temporarily as a precautionary measure and specialists took away the device.
According to local media, the high-explosive device was a 75mm anti-tank round.
The woman was declined her souvenir, but is unlikely nevertheless to forget what happened as she was reportedly fined nearly $6,700 for her action.
– Australscope
