JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Airport security officers destroyed a passenger's
carry-on briefcase Thursday after an X-ray showed a suspicious object and
the owner falsely claimed to be a law enforcement officer, officials said.

No bomb was found, and the passenger was released after questioning, said
Larry Rowlett, federal security director for airports in Mississippi.

The bomb scare closed Jackson International Airport for an hour. Hundreds of
people were evacuated, and flights were delayed.
Rowlett said a civil lawsuit might be filed against the passenger,
identified only as a 35-year-old Jackson man, for "impeding checkpoint
operations."

The man told officials that the suspicious item was a phone charger, but the
item did not match the phone he was carrying, Rowlett said. The briefcase
was blown apart with a water cannon in an airport stairwell, and among the
remains were wires, a telephone battery, tweezers and a cassette player,
authorities said.

The passenger also claimed to work for the state Narcotics Bureau, then
admitted it was not true after airport officials asked to see his badge,
said Lauren Stover of the federal Transportation Security Administration.