BWI Security Spots Loaded Gun, Police Arrest Suspect: Report

LINTHICUM, MD — Security stopped a Baltimore man with a loaded handgun at Baltimore/Washington International Airport on Sunday. A Transportation Security Administration officer spotted the gun as it passed through the X-ray machine in a bag, according to a press release.

TSA turned the accused man, Ayyub Ansari Anif, over to the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, who arrested him. Anif faces charges of carrying a loaded handgun, illegally possessing a firearm and illegally possessing ammunition. Anif, 35, is from Gwynn Oak.

A TSA spokesperson said the .38-caliber revolver was loaded with five bullets. TSA does not believe he had any intentions of using the weapon.

"Guns are prohibited in the cabins of airplanes," said Andrea R. Mishoe, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Maryland. "It’s nothing new. In fact, it’s a law that has been in place long before TSA even existed."

Concealed carry permits do not allow passengers to travel through airport security with guns. Travelers can fly with a firearm, but only if they follow the correct steps.

To fly with a gun, it must be unloaded, packed in a checked bag and declared at the luggage drop. The owner must pack the gun in a hard-sided, locked suitcase.

That was the tenth gun caught at BWI in 2020. The ninth catch came on Sept. 11 when police arrested Oxon Hill man Leon D. Cullum, 42, on similar charges.

Those numbers are down from 2019 when TSA spotted 27 guns at the airport. BWI has seen fewer travelers this year, however, because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

TSA snagged more than 4,000 guns at airports around the country last year, averaging about 12 per day. A TSA report says 87 percent of those guns were loaded.

"Our officers are skilled at their jobs and are United Together, to Protect our Homeland," Mishoe said.

Travelers are usually fined $4,100 the first time they bring a gun to a TSA checkpoint. The penalties can reach $13,669, depending on the circumstances.

TSA explains how to properly travel with a weapon at this link. Passengers can also call their airline for more information.

Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.