Flier tries to board plane with dagger hidden in Eiffel Tower replica

A passenger at Oakland International Airport earlier this month tried to bring aboard a large dagger that fit snugly inside a replica of the Eiffel Tower.

The weapon -- 12 inches long with an 8-inch, double-edged blade and intricately designed handle -- and its accompanying sheath disguised as a landmark were in a carry-on bag, said Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein.

The Eiffel Tower knife is just one of myriad unusual and dangerous items travelers have tried to take onto planes at the nation’s airports. In October, a cannon barrel was discovered.

The TSA notes that knives can be placed in checked baggage or even shipped to a flier’s destination, but they are never allowed in carry-on bags. Neither are guns, for that matter, but in 2014 there was a record-breaking number of firearms pulled from carry-on bags in TSA security lines.

The TSA announced last week that 2,212 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags in 2014. That’s up from 1,813 in 2013.

Of those 2,212, more than 80% were loaded. Firearms were intercepted at 224 airports, the TSA reported, 19 more than the previous year.

The TSA agency also released the top 10 airports for firearm discoveries, with Dallas Fort Worth topping the list. Next came Atlanta, then Phoenix. No California airport made the top 10.

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