Stolen Civil War-era cannonballs found in suitcase at Alabama airport

Core Impact Points

• The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) discovered five small cannonballs wrapped in paper towels in a passenger's suitcase during a routine security screening.
• The cannonballs were stolen from Fort Morgan, a historic Gulf Shores fort that played a significant role in several military conflicts, including the Civil War.
• The TSA has been screening over 2 million passengers a day this summer and has encountered some unusual items in travelers' luggage, including live smoke grenades and a samurai sword hidden in a guitar case.
• The incident highlights the need for stricter regulations on prohibited items and the importance of airport security in preventing the transportation of hazardous materials.
• The Baldwin County Sheriff's Office determined that a juvenile stole the cannonballs from a storage area in the fort and placed them in their grandmother's checked bag, with the grandmother unaware of the stolen items.
• The institution declined to press charges, and the artifacts were returned to the fort.