Saudi Man Arrested at JFK After TSA Discovers Stun Weapons in Luggage

A 54-year-old Saudi man was arrested in a first-class lounge at JFK airport outside New York City Friday.

Mohamed Hefni was apprehended after Transportation Security Administration agents spotted a stun gun and four other weapons in Hefni's checked bag for a flight to Riyadh.

After TSA agents first noticed the gun's outline during a routine screening, they opened Hefni's package. Inside they discovered a fully operable battery-powered electric stun gun, three electric stun batons, an electric stun pen, and a large can of pepper spray, authorities told the New York Post.

Hefni's lives in New York City and was arrested by Port Authority cops on misdemeanor weapons charges. The New York Times reports that Hefni was released Friday evening without bail, and a TSA spokeswomen told the Times that "We do not believe this was related to terrorism."

Hefni told the police he had bought the weapons “for his protection,” according to court papers, and NY1 reports that the man told TSA agents the weapons were to protect his family in Saudi Arabia. Hefni was charged with five misdemeanor counts of illegal weapons possession, each of which carries a penalty of up to a year in prison.