A steampunk accessory sparked a major bomb scare at Germany’s biggest airport that also delayed a flight to Washington DC after cops mistook a detail on the artwork for a bomb.
Employees at the Frankfurt am Main Airport in Germany caused panic when they spotted what they thought was a hand grenade in an American man’s suitcase, that later turned out to be only small detail of the steampunk sculpture.
The sculpture with the incorporated fake hand grenade was found during x-ray cabin security checks for a flight scheduled to the US capital of Washington D.C. at around 5.15 pm on Tuesday on 3rd August 2021.
Steampunk fashion is a subgenre of the steampunk movement in science fiction which combines retro futuristic technology and aesthetics inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery.
The culture is a mixture of the Victorian era’s romantic view of science or the American “Wild West” and elements from the Industrial Revolution in Europe during the 1800s.
Moreover, the fashion is designed with a post-apocalyptic era in mind and consists of clothing, hairstyling, jewellery, body modification and make-up and is inspired by works of writers from the end of the 19th century, such as those of Robert Louis Stevenson, G. K. Chesterton and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
According to spokesperson Michael Moser from the Federal Police Department, the suitcase belonged to a 56-year-old American native whose identity was not disclosed, who had already boarded the plane and was sitting comfortably inside the cabin without anticipating any peculiarities.
Meanwhile, shocked airport employees closed the affected area and delayed the plane’s departure which was already on the airport apron and ready to take off.
Additionally, airport authorities alerted the responsible bomb disposal units of the Federal Police, who immediately came on site to estimate the dangerous explosive weapon.
However, after the inspection, the explosives experts were able to confirm that the supposedly explosive fire bomb was only a detail in steampunk accessory.
The 56-year-old American along with the rest of the passengers were finally able to continue their journey towards the US after an 85-minute-long delay.
However, the 56-year-old will have to wait a little longer for his suitcase.
According to a press release by the Federal Police on Wednesday (4th August), the suitcase including the accessory was detained by the authorities.
Local media did not report whether the accessory will be destroyed or returned to the owner.
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Story By: Georgina Jadikovska, Sub-Editor: James King, Agency: Newsflash
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