Terminal Evacuated After Grenade Is Found

Portions of Terminal No. 4 at Los Angeles International Airport were evacuated for about 45 minutes Friday morning after an American Airlines employee opened a small box in the baggage claim area and saw the top of a grenade wrapped in plastic.

The employee called airport police and the Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad. Police evacuated the baggage claim area and the ticket counter directly above it, said Tom Winfrey, a spokesman for Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that operates LAX.

Travelers were barred from entering those areas from about 5:30 a.m. to 6:15 a.m, he said. Police determined that the object was an inert practice hand grenade attached to a commemorative plaque that had been left unclaimed at the terminal. The incident delayed about nine flights.