A man was arrested after passengers at Tampa International Airport's Airside F had to be re-screened by security Friday night amid concern a weapon made it past Transportation Security Administration personnel.
A news conference held Friday night provided more information on what exactly happened at the Tampa airport.
Just before 8 p.m., a TSA employee at the airside, which primarily serves American Airlines, spotted a gun, a Glock, inside a bag of a departing passenger as it moved through an X-ray machine, TPA Executive Vice President of Operations John Tiliacos explained.
The screening was immediately suspended as per protocol and passengers were evacuated from the area back to the main terminal so police could sweep Airside F "out of an abundance of caution."
The passenger involved in the security incident was arrested prior to the evacuation.
In a Saturday morning update, TPA identified the man arrested as 25-year-old Abraham Yacoub. He was charged with tampering with physical evidence and carrying a concealed firearm into an unauthorized area.
Operations at TPA back to normal on Saturday as the investigation continues, the airport added.
No other parts of the airport were impacted by the security situation, Tiliacos said.
When the area was deemed clear, TSA re-screened several hundreds of passengers. The airport then resumed normal operations at around 9:45 p.m.
"Ensuring the safety and security of our customers is our No. 1 priority at Tampa International Airport and that's what we did tonight," Tiliacos said during the news conference. "We are thankful for the quick actions of our police officers and our TSA partners who very quickly contained the situation and helped operations resume as safely and quickly as possible."
There was no threat to safety, airport leaders stressed, but about a dozen flights, both arriving and departing, were affected.