A routine security check at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) led Transportation Security Administration officers to an unsettling discovery that appeared to belong in a horror film.
As officers examined X-ray images, they noticed an unusual item resembling a combination of Wolverine’s metal claws and Freddy Krueger’s trademark blades, according to the TSA.
“I saw three blades and distinct claw-like features,” TSA Officer Douglas Linn said in an agency report published Oct. 27.
“I was amazed, and even more so when it came out of the bag. I have never seen anything like this during my two years at TSA.”
Dennis Oishi, the officer assigned to search the property, inspected the bag and quickly verified that it contained a potentially dangerous item.
The TSA later posted an image of the bizarre object on Instagram. Fox News Digital contacted the agency seeking additional details.
Although the item initially looked like a movie prop or replica weapon, officers soon confirmed that it was far more concerning.
“In my seven years with TSA, this is one of the most unusual items I have encountered. My first thought was, ‘Oh my gosh,’ and my second thought was, ‘Is this what I think it is?’” said Supervisory TSA Officer Ann Rhoades.
Rhoades recalled that Oishi asked the passenger whether the bag contained anything sharp. The traveler said he was not certain, but the officers’ discovery left little doubt.
The passenger then took the object out of the bag voluntarily.
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“Officers Linn and Oishi demonstrated the vigilance, teamwork and professionalism that define TSA’s mission every day,” said Robert Spinden, Seattle TSA’s federal security director.
“Their actions prevented a prohibited item from moving beyond the checkpoint and reinforced the importance of careful screening, clear coordination and calm execution,” Spinden said.
“I’m proud of their attention to detail and their commitment to keeping the traveling public safe.”
The unusual claw-like weapon is only the latest strange item TSA officers have intercepted at airport checkpoints.
At Watertown International Airport (ART) in upstate New York, a standard screening recently uncovered a spent smoke grenade concealed inside an aerosol container in a passenger’s carry-on luggage.
TSA officers made that discovery recently, according to an agency statement released Sept. 24.
Meanwhile, officers at Tampa International Airport found a 4-inch double-edged knife hidden inside a flashlight designed to look like a baseball bat, the TSA reported.
TSA Officer Andrew Carter was scanning a passenger’s carry-on when he noticed something unusual about the flashlight and sent the bag aside for additional inspection.
“The makeup and composition of the flashlight appeared unusual and outside what I typically expect, so I determined it required further examination,” Carter said in the agency’s account.
Supervisory TSA Officer Michael Slaughter searched the bag and detected a hard mass beneath its lining. Once he opened the lining, he located the baseball bat-style flashlight and spotted a seam running along its shaft.
“That is when it detached from the flashlight, revealing a 4-inch, double-edged knife integrated into the handle,” he said.