Authorities at Ted Stevens International Airport in Alaska said they found a "pipe bomb" inside of a passenger's bag on Sunday, the New York Daily News reported.
TSA agents found the device in the luggage of an unidentified man who was headed toward the North Slope and claims it was an "avalanche device."
"I didn't know what was going on at first, but it made me feel more safe to see how security handled the issue," airport employee Jordan Seward told KTUU.
Airport Operations Officer Sharon Long told the Anchorage Daily News that the area around the device was immediately cleared and security checkpoints were temporarily closed.
Jesse Davis, airport police and fire chief, also told the newspaper that the device the man was carrying was missing a triggering mechanism. A team of officials eventually retrieved the device.
"It appeared based on their knowledge that it wasn't an immediate danger to the traveling public," Davis told the local newspaper. "I don't know of any avalanche dangers up on the North Slope."
Davis also said authorities did not announce what was going on the rest of the airport, though some flights may have been delayed due to the situation.
The traveler is currently being investigated by the FBI and a possible motive is unknown.
