The Eugene Airport closed for about four hours Thursday morning while police investigated a suspicious device found during a routine bag screening just after 6 a.m.
The airport delayed several outgoing flights but allowed incoming flights to land and reopened around 10:30 a.m. The device looks like a lead pipe wrapped in black electrical tape. To see a photo of it, go to dailyemerald.com.
The device’s owner, whose name has not been released, was on a flight from Eugene to Denver where he was detained and released without charges.
The incident is still under investigation, so charges are still possible, said FBI spokesman Mike Sweeny. The FBI is trying to determine, “What was he thinking,” Sweeny said. “If we’re satisfied that it was human error and poor thought – unintended consequences – then we’ll go one way. But if there’s some evidence of an intent to deceive we’ll go the other direction.”
– Ryan Knutson