Passenger Tries to Bring a WWII Shell Through Vienna Airport

July 11, 2018

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1 min read

Passenger Tries to Bring a WWII Shell Through Vienna Airport

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A 24-year-old American tourist found an unexploded World World II artillery shell during her vacation in Austria, and then tried to bring it on her flight at Vienna International Airport (VIE) on Monday.

The tourist reportedly found the shell while hiking, washed it off in her hotel room and asked Austrian customs officials if she could take the artifact home as a souvenir, according to DW News, a news site in Berlin.

The officials called a bomb disposal unit and shut down the arrivals gates and baggage claim for 15 minutes. Police and a bomb disposal team took the shell and brought it out of the building to a safe area away from the terminal. The situation caused no harm and did not impact any flight schedules or airport operations. The passenger reportedly was charged with negligent endangerment and fined nearly $4,700, DW news reported.

This isn't the first time WWII artifacts have affected air travel. Earlier this year, both London City Airport (LCY) and Berlin Airport (TXL) were closed because of unexploded WWII bombs that were found in the vicinity of the airport.