SEATTLE | TSA Officers Pull Wolverine-Style Claw Blades From Carry-On at Sea-Tac Airport

SEATAC, Wash. (FFP) — Wolverine would have had a hard time getting through security at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Transportation Security Administration officers at Sea-Tac pulled a set of claw-like blades out of a passenger’s carry-on bag, the agency said in a post published Tuesday, Oct. 27. TSA described the item as resembling “a mix between Wolverine-style claws and Freddy Krueger blades.” KING 5 reported that officers described it as three long blades attached to brass knuckles, and that the discovery happened in August.

Officer Douglas Linn spotted the item while reviewing X-ray images at the checkpoint.

“I saw three blades and distinct claw-like features,” Linn said in the TSA post. “I was amazed, and even more so when it came out of the bag. I have never seen anything like this during my two years at TSA.”

Officer Dennis Oishi, working as the property search officer, searched the bag and confirmed the prohibited item. Oishi, a 15-year TSA veteran, told KING 5, “We’ve never seen that before.”

Supervisory TSA Officer Ann Rhoades said the claws were one of the most unusual items she had encountered in seven years with the agency. “My first thought was, ‘Oh my gosh,’ and my second thought was, ‘Is this what I think it is?'” she said. When Oishi asked the passenger whether there was anything sharp in the bag, Rhoades said, “he said he wasn’t sure. Obviously, there was.”

According to TSA, the passenger remembered the items as soon as Oishi pulled them out and voluntarily abandoned them at the checkpoint. Oishi told KING 5 the passenger did not appear suspicious and faced no legal consequences. TSA did not identify the passenger.

“Their actions prevented a prohibited item from moving beyond the checkpoint,” said Robert Spinden, TSA’s federal security director at Sea-Tac.

TSA also had fun with it on X: “Not a Marvel-ous idea in your carry-on bag,” the agency wrote, according to CBS News, adding, “Please pack all mutant blades in a checked bag.”

What travelers should know: TSA’s own guidance says brass knuckles are not allowed in carry-on bags but may go in checked bags. The agency warns they are still illegal in some states, and if a checked bag is opened and holds an illegal item, TSA must report it to local law enforcement. Sharp items such as knives and box cutters belong in checked luggage, sheathed or securely wrapped, CBS News reported, citing TSA guidelines. With Halloween this weekend, that goes double for costume props. The final call on any item rests with the TSA officer at the checkpoint.

Sources:

• TSA: Claw-some catch in Seattle (Oct. 27, 2026)
• KING 5: Wolverine-style claws found in carry-on at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
• CBS News: TSA finds sharp “mutant blades” in carry-on bag at Seattle airport
• KOMO News: TSA seize ‘Wolverine-style claws and Freddy Krueger blades’ at Sea-Tac airport
• TSA: What Can I Bring? Brass Knuckles