A bomb scare that shut a terminal at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport for 90 minutes on Friday morning was caused by a passenger carrying what he said was a water filtration system in his checked baggage, an official said.
Police questioned and released the man without charges after the materials were determined to not be explosive, airport spokesman Patrick Hogan said. He declined to identify the man because he was not charged.
"The questionable items in the bag were two PVC pipes capped at both ends filled with a granular material," Hogan said. "There were also a number of wires in the bag that were not connected to the pipes."
"The individual claimed it was a device for water filtration," Hogan said.
About 1,000 people were cleared from Terminal 2 at the airport after the materials triggered an alert for a possible explosive substance, Hogan said.
The police bomb squad from Bloomington, a suburb adjoining the airport, was called to the airport, took the materials and the terminal was reopened soon after, Hogan said.
Airport police released the man after the materials were found not to be explosive and he was rebooked on another flight, Hogan said.
