Passenger released on handgun charges

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- A passenger whom authorities said tried to board an airplane at Philadelphia International Airport over the weekend with a loaded handgun in a carry-on bag was freed on bond Monday.

The FBI charged Nancy Keller, 37, with carrying a concealed weapon in an airport.

A federal magistrate in Philadelphia released Keller on a $100,000 recognizance bond, meaning that if she flees she will be liable for that amount. She did not have to post bail.

The judge told her that until she appears at a probable cause hearing in two weeks, she is not allowed to own a gun or step foot in an airport.

RESOURCES Criminal Complaint / Warrant for Arrest (US v. Keller)

Keller, of Huntersville, North Carolina, north of Charlotte, was arrested Sunday after security screeners found an HK .357 semi-automatic handgun fully loaded with 12 rounds in her carry-on bag.

A second 12-round magazine, this one labeled "restricted-law enforcement, government use only," also was found in the bag, according to the FBI affidavit filed in the case. Federal law bars civilians from possessing magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds.

The gun and clip were found inside "a small black nylon mesh zipper bag" within the carry-on bag amid clothes and other personal items, the affidavit said.

Keller told the FBI the gun belonged to her husband, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was trying to determine its ownership. It was not immediately clear whether her husband works in law enforcement. The HK .357 is a gun used by law enforcement.

Officials at the Transportation Security Administration said Keller arrived in Philadelphia on USAir Flight 1159 from Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport.

Keller was planning take a commuter flight to Salisbury, Maryland, when screeners found the gun, authorities said.

It was not clear whether Keller had the handgun on the flight from Atlanta, authorities said.

According to the TSA, she went outside the secure area at the Philadelphia airport and was re-entering the screening area when screeners found the gun.

Willie L. Williams, federal security director at Hartsfield, ordered an investigation to determine how a gun might have passed through security undetected.

TSA handles security screening at Atlanta's Hartsfield and oversees the security screening at the Philadelphia airport.

No one was injured and no flights were delayed by the incident.

-- Correspondent Gary Tuchman contributed to this report.