A West Virginia man who tried to carry a live flash-bang grenade onto a flight out of Pittsburgh International Airport pleaded guilty on Wednesday in federal court.
Zachary Velling, 27, of Morgantown will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark R. Hornak on Jan. 7 in Pittsburgh.
Velling was charged with a single count of possessing an unregistered firearm stemming from the incident on Nov. 12, 2024.
According to investigators, Transportation Security Administration officers saw a suspicious object in Velling’s carry-on luggage around 9:35 a.m. when he placed it in an X-ray machine.
Allegheny County Police determined Velling was carrying a flash-bang grenade.
A flash-bang grenade is designed to produce a bright light and loud noise and is sometimes used by law enforcement agencies in raids.
After the grenade was discovered, a bomb squad technician responded to the airport and confirmed the device was live. It was safely removed, and Velling was arrested.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the grenade is classified as a firearm and destructive device under federal law and was not registered to Velling.