STOLEN CIVIL WAR-ERA CANNONBALLS DISCOVERED BY TSA

A routine luggage inspection at Alabama’s Gulf Shores International Airport turned into something straight out of an adventure movie when TSA officers uncovered five stolen Civil War-era cannonballs. Officer Justin Dupree initially believed the heavy objects might be explosives after spotting them on an X-ray, prompting an immediate security response. Fortunately, local authorities determined the cannonballs were inert and traced them back to nearby Fort Morgan, a historic military site on Alabama’s Gulf Coast.

Investigators later discovered the artifacts had been taken by the passenger’s 17-year-old grandchild from a storage area at the fort. The passenger reportedly had no idea the cannonballs were packed in the luggage. The historic items were safely returned, and Fort Morgan’s director chose not to press charges.

Dupree said he’s encountered training munitions before, but never anything resembling an “Indiana Jones” discovery. It’s a reminder that airport security officers never know what might appear on the X-ray screen next.