TSA says passenger disguised knife as belt buckle

The Transportation Security Administration says a passenger at Newark, N.J.’s Liberty International Airport was caught trying to disguise a knife as a belt buckle.

The passenger, who was flying to California, had the buckle on a belt that was packed into carry-on luggage in the loops of a pair of pants, the agency said. The item was discovered Dec. 4, TSA said.

TSA spokesman Kawika Riley said the passenger surrendered the knife to airport security officials after police were called and was then cleared to fly.

“Passengers are advised to remove their belts at the checkpoint, and if there’s a knife in your belt buckle, please, please leave it at home,” said Riley said in a statement.

{mosads}TSA has come under fire recently after several elderly passengers accused the agency of forcing them to strip before flights, but the agency has denied the accusations.

In the meantime, TSA has been releasing a series of reports of weapons it discovered that were concealed as common items like a credit card and a cellphone.

The agency said earlier that it also discovered five grenades in another passenger at Newark’s Liberty Airport’s bag this weekend.

Photos courtesy of TSA.