On Sunday, the FBI was alerted after a loaded gun magazine was discovered on a Frontier Airlines flight at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
According to a statement from the Atlanta Police Department (APD), officers were dispatched to the airport shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. A report had come in regarding the discovery of a gun magazine near Gate C-6 in Concourse C, where Frontier Airlines operates.
The magazine, reportedly containing ten hollow point bullets, was found by a passenger seated on an Airbus A320. It was located near seat 7A, as per the APD release.
Identified by the initials “K H,” the magazine was discovered during the boarding process for a flight headed back to Cincinnati.
A passenger managed to capture a Frontier flight attendant’s announcement that the plane would undergo an investigation and all passengers would need to disembark. (Source: FOX 5 Atlanta)
The response involved coordination among several entities: the TSA, Department of Aviation, Frontier Airlines, Homeland Security, and Atlanta Police K-9 units. The aircraft was subsequently evacuated, according to the news release.
After a thorough search by officers, no additional items of concern were found.
TSA screened all passengers a second time, and the flight departed safely just before 8 p.m., according to officials.
A Frontier plane was evacuated after a loaded gun magazine was found onboard. Eventually, the passengers were able to continue on their journey. (FOX 5 Atlanta)
The FBI was notified of the matter, according to APD.
“No active threats were indicated at this time,” the agency wrote in the release.
A Frontier Airlines spokesperson told affiliate FOX 5 Atlanta the ammunition belonged to a member of law enforcement who was on an earlier flight.
A Frontier plane taking off at the Atlanta airport. (FOX 5 Atlanta)
“Customers were asked to deplane while a security sweep of the aircraft was conducted, along with additional passenger screening prior to the flight’s departure,” the airline told the outlet. “A subsequent investigation confirmed that the ammunition belonged to a law enforcement officer who was on an earlier flight on the same aircraft. The ammunition and magazine were taken into the custody of the Atlanta Police Department, and the property owner was referred to Atlanta P.D. to retrieve his items.”
However, an APD source told FOX 5 investigators have not confirmed who the magazine belonged to.
“I’ve heard of a lot of delays, canceled flights, but I’ve never heard of this before,” passenger Terry Foster told the outlet. “This is brand new.”
Another passenger, Janyia Davis, told FOX 5 she didn’t feel anyone was in danger, but “something bad could still happen.”
Frontier Airlines did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
