“Accidental shootings” left three injured and caused a brief scene of panic on Saturday November 20 inside the American airport in Atlanta, in the middle of the weekend preceding the Thanksgiving holidays, but the management assured that there was no shooter or “no danger”. “At approximately 1:30 p.m. today (6:30 p.m. GMT), a weapon accidentally went off in the ATL (Atlanta Airport) security screening area,” the airport’s Twitter account said. city in the southeastern United States.
The incident caused three minor injuries, said the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA). “There is no shooter at the airport,” added the same source, adding that the police were on the spot. In another tweet shortly following, the airport insisted there was “no danger to passengers or employees” and that an investigation was underway.
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According to an airport spokesperson, the incident unfolded following a weapon was found in a bag at a security checkpoint. “When the agent or the passenger wanted to take it, it accidentally went off,” Andrew Gobeil, airport communications director, told CNN. When the shot went off, the man carrying the weapon “ran away”, he added, adding that the authorities knew his identity.
American television channels, such as CNN, showed images of chaotic scenes captured by passengers. We see plots on the ground, panicked voices and travelers hiding where they can, but the situation seemed to be quickly back to normal. American airports are very busy during the weekend preceding the week of Thanskgiving, one of the most observed popular holidays in the United States.
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In the state of Georgia, of which Atlanta is the capital, a 2014 law allows people to carry authorized weapons in public areas of airports, as well as in bars, schools and churches. It is, however, illegal under federal law to carry a weapon into a security screening area.
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