Man Attempted to Clear Alaska TSA Checkpoint With 'Pipe Bomb' In Carry-On Luggage

Agents with the Transportation Security Administration at Alaska's Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport discovered what police are describing as a "pipe bomb" in the carry-on luggage of an oil worker Sunday.

[sharequote align="center"]"...small, handmade explosive device was found at a screening point on a carry-on bag."[/sharequote]

The FBI bomb disposal team was called in just before 2 p.m. after the "small, handmade explosive device was found at a screening point on a carry-on bag," NBC News reported.

The airport employee entrance is seen at Dulles International Airport February 13, 2014, near Washington, D.C., in Sterling, Virgina. (AFP/Getty Images)

According to the Anchorage Daily News, authorities said the man — whose name has not been released — initially claimed the small explosive device was an "avalanche device." Police, however, appeared skeptical of his story.

"I don't know of any avalanche dangers up on the North Slope," Jesse Davis, chief of the airport's police and fire department, said, adding that the FBI was interviewing him.

According to Davis, the pipe bomb lacked a triggering device,  the Anchorage Daily News reported, noting that police downplayed the incident.

The incident did not shut down the airport, but did close the TSA checkpoint for about an hour, which may have caused some flight delays.

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