{"slug": "man-is-charged-with-bringing-a-bomb-in-his-carry-on-bag-to-a-northern-california", "title": "Man is charged with bringing a bomb in his carry-on bag to a Northern California airport", "summary": "A 49-year-old Sacramento man was arrested Saturday at Sacramento International Airport after attempting to bring an explosive device, a torch lighter, knife, zip ties, and other items through a security checkpoint. Federal prosecutors said the device, containing viable powder and fuse, was powerful enough to damage a pressurized aircraft and cause loss of cabin pressure. The man, who wore a scarf over his face and latex gloves, faces a charge of unlawful possession of explosive material in an airport.", "body_md": "**Getting your**\n\n[Trinity Audio](//trinityaudio.ai)player ready...SACRAMENTO — A man carrying what authorities described as an explosive device powerful enough to damage a plane, as well as a torch lighter, knife, zip ties and other items, was arrested after trying to pass through a Sacramento International Airport security checkpoint over the weekend, federal prosecutors said.\n\nThe 49-year-old from Sacramento was wearing a scarf covering his face and latex gloves, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said in a news release. He also had five cell phones: one with a 15-minute timer set to begin, a second with a message on the screen from another phone number saying, “we will be awaiting your call.”\n\nEvidence photos released by prosecutors show a cardboard tube about the size of a toilet paper roll fitted with a green fuse. Bomb technicians tested the device. The powder and fuse “were determined to be viable and energetic,” Grant said.\n\nIf the device had detonated next to a window on a pressurized aircraft flying above 10,000 feet (3 kilometers), Grant said, “it had the potential to damage the aircraft and cause a possible loss of cabin pressure.”\n\nBefore the device was removed from the airport, officers put a bomb blast suppression blanket over it and taped off the immediate area, according to the federal complaint against the man.\n\nHe was arrested Saturday and appeared in federal court in Sacramento on Wednesday. He is charged with unlawful possession of explosive material in an airport. The complaint also alleges he made “rambling” calls to the FBI in the months beforehand to report he was being threatened and intimidated.\n\nHis public defender, Meghan McLoughlin, said in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday that “there is often more to these cases than the government’s allegations, and that the criminal process will reveal” her client’s story as well.\n\nIt wasn’t immediately known how extensively the man was searched at the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint. Last year, air travelers in the U.S. were no longer required to take off their shoes during security screenings. [Screenings without shoes](https://apnews.com/article/how-sept-11-changed-flying-1ce4dc4282fb47a34c0b61ae09a024f4) became a requirement in 2006, several years after “shoe bomber” Richard Reid’s failed 2001 attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/man-is-charged-with-bringing-a-bomb-in-his-carry-on-bag-to-a-northern-california", "canonical_source": "https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/06/05/man-is-charged-with-bringing-a-bomb-in-his-carry-on-bag-to-a-california-airport/", "published_at": "2026-06-05 17:25:24+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-05 18:02:14.089685+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-safety", "ai-policy"], "entities": ["Eric Grant", "Sacramento International Airport", "U.S. Attorney"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/man-is-charged-with-bringing-a-bomb-in-his-carry-on-bag-to-a-northern-california", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/man-is-charged-with-bringing-a-bomb-in-his-carry-on-bag-to-a-northern-california.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/man-is-charged-with-bringing-a-bomb-in-his-carry-on-bag-to-a-northern-california.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/man-is-charged-with-bringing-a-bomb-in-his-carry-on-bag-to-a-northern-california.jsonld"}}