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FBI questions man detained at Los Angeles airport

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The FBI is questioning an inactive National Guardsman who was detained Monday at Los Angeles International Airport after security screeners found he was carrying a noisemaker device that initially was thought to be an explosive.

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Authorities said the device, which looks like a firecracker, was detected in the man's baggage as he went through the screening area of Terminal 6.

The device was a "bird disperser noisemaker" used for wildlife control, said Gaby Pachecho, spokeswoman for Los Angeles World Airports.

Officials closed Terminal 6 after the device was found at about 6:30 a.m PST (9:30 a.m. EST), and it remained closed for around an hour. Some flights were delayed, but the airport returned to full operations as soon as the terminal reopened, Pachecho said.

Terminal 6 houses gates used by Continental, United, National and Copa airlines.

The incident occurred one day after new federal security measures were put in place in the nation's airports.

"The system worked as designed," said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown. "It made a difference in this particular case."

Under the new regulations, private companies that do screening are working under federal supervision. The screeners are undergoing new training, said Jim McNulty, spokesman for Globe Aviation Services, which employs screeners at the Los Angeles airport.



 
 
 
 








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