MINNEAPOLIS, April 27 (UPI) -- Pipes and wires in a bag that shut down a terminal at the Minneapolis airport Friday turned out to be a harmless water filtration device, officials said.
The Humphrey terminal at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was evacuated for about 90 minutes, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported. It was reopened after the bomb squad examined the bag and found a "sand-like substance" inside two PVC pipes was not explosive, airport spokesman Pat Hogan said.
The owner of the bag told officials he had caused a similar ruckus in Long Beach, Calif., in 2009, Hogan said. He was able to travel to Raleigh, N.C., on a later flight.
"If you have anything suspicious, let the people at the ticket counter know," Hogan said. "This caused a delay for thousands of people that was not necessary."
Security screeners found the bag at 5:30 a.m. The airport was reopened around 7 a.m.
All flights were held during the shutdown, and traffic on roads leading to the airport backed up.
