On Friday, November 11, 2022, someone attempted to carry a double-edged knife onto an airplane hidden inside a gaming laptop. The incident occurred at Richmond International Airport in Richmond, Virginia, and was intercepted by U.S. Transportation Security Administration (commonly known as TSA) personnel.

The laptop, which a colleague at Tom's Hardware (opens in new tab) noted was "neither a Razer Blade nor an MSI Sword," appeared to be a Gigabyte Aorus laptop with a completely dust-free fan. If you are going to open a laptop to hide a knife, why not at least blow compressed air on it first?

"The TSA employee who staffed the X-ray machine at the checkpoint ... . found what appeared to be a knife in the man's carry-on bag," the TSA said in a press release.

"The contents of the bag were examined and initially no knife was found. At that point, x-ray images indicated that the knives were inside the laptop, necessitating a closer inspection. After obtaining tools to disassemble the laptop, it was determined that a double-edged knife was cleverly hidden inside the computer.

The term used in the TSA report - cleverly concealed - is not one of deference or explanatory whimsy, but rather a legal one. Cleverly concealed is a specific offense that applies not merely to attempting to conceal a dangerous object or to hide it where it is not supposed to be, but to conceal it like a sword cane or a knife in a hollowed-out book. A different charge might apply, but depending on the mood of the federal judge or jury that day, the perpetrator in question could be charged anywhere from $5,320 to $10,700.

My favorite part is this one, "The traveler initially claimed that he did not know there was a knife in the laptop, but after the knife was revealed, he confirmed that it was his.

At this time, nothing is known about the man who attempted to smuggle the knife, including his motive, except that he is from Williamsburg, Virginia.

Frankly, I am surprised that the agent bothered to mention the "obtaining tools to disassemble the laptop" part. Because the TSA's reputation is not one of subtlety or helpfulness when it comes to being perceived as having a knife.

You can read the full press release on the TSA's website, tsa.gov. (open in new tab)