Cannonballs Stolen from Historic Fort Found in Tourist's Luggage at Vietnam Airport

An unusual incident occurred at a Vietnamese airport when five historical cannonballs were discovered in a tourist's checked luggage, surprising airport security authorities. These items were reportedly stolen from a historic fort in Alabama. On July 31, airport personnel in Vietnam initially mistook the spherical metallic objects found in checked baggage for training balls. However, an alert from the scanner prompted a manual inspection of the luggage, revealing five cannonballs of varying sizes. The largest was described as being about the size of a grapefruit. Security officers, while noting the absence of fuses, immediately called for backup due to the potential danger. Fortunately, it was later determined that these cannonballs were inert and contained no explosive materials or active components. Police investigations revealed that the cannonballs had been stolen from Fort Morgan in Alabama, a historic Civil War-era fort. Fort Morgan was constructed around 1812 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960. The tourist, a woman, expressed her "astonishment" regarding how the items ended up in her luggage. The local sheriff's office investigation identified a teenager as responsible for the theft. The teenager allegedly stole the cannonballs from a storage area within the fort and placed them in his grandmother's checked baggage. The grandmother maintained that she was unaware they were stolen. The sheriff's office decided not to press charges, and the artifacts were returned to Fort Morgan. Airports in Vietnam handle a vast number of passengers daily, and various unusual items are occasionally found. This summer alone, authorities have discovered two active smoke grenades, one inert grenade, an item resembling a pipe bomb, and a samurai sword hidden in a guitar case. Source: VnExpress