Handgun Found On Plane At PHL

A law-enforcement source says a US Airways employee and passenger are in custody after authorities found a handgun on a plane at Philadelphia International Airport.

The incident involved a 7 a.m. US Airways flight 1195 to Phoenix Thursday.

A law enforcement source told Fox 29 the passenger handed over his carry-on bag to a friend who works the ramp for US Airways, before going through security.

Later, as he boarded flight 1195, the source said the ramp employee handed the bag back to the passenger.

The flight was taxiing for takeoff when it was brought back to the gate. Passengers were taken off the plane 10 at a time and searched thoroughly. When TSA agents went onto the airplane, they found an unloaded 9 mm handgun in a bag in an overhead compartment, police said.

Passengers on board the Phoenix flight were told not to talk to the media. But for hours Thursday morning, Philadelphia police and FBI agents questioned them, airline employees, TSA agents, and the two men at the center of the investigation.

More than four hours after the flight was supposed to take off, the two men were transported separately from the airport to federal custody.

The father of one passenger told Fox 29 News investigators also tore apart a couple of seats onboard the plane.

The plane departed shortly after 10:30 a.m.

Fox 29's Claudia Gomez reported that, during the search of all passengers, investigators also recovered a boxcutter that apparently got past TSA agents.

Philadelphia police, the FBI and the TSA are continuing to investigate.