Man admits packing explosives in luggage before flight

Mark Muffley seen at the airport in an FBI handout

A Pennsylvania man has admitted attempting to bring an explosive device onto a flight earlier this week, court documents show.

Marc Muffley, 40, was arrested by FBI agents on Monday after allegedly putting the device in a checked bag for the flight to Florida.

He did not speak at a Thursday court hearing.

Mr Muffley's attorney has claimed the device was a firework that could not be lit.

He has been charged with possession of an explosive in an airport and possessing or attempting to place an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft.

In court documents filed Thursday, prosecutors said Mr Muffley admitted to packing the explosives into the bag.

Mr Muffley allegedly fled the airport after being called for over the airport's public address system. The airport was evacuated.

In a memo seeking his detention without bail, US Attorney Jacqueline Romero said that Mr Muffley called his girlfriend for a ride and quickly changed his phone number, fearing he would be arrested.

She reportedly told investigators that he was "nervous about what was contained in his baggage".

"His actions seriously jeopardized the lives of airport workers and patrons, and if the explosive had not been intercepted, the flight's passengers and the aircraft," the memo added.

Mr Muffley has been arrested several other times for charges including drug possession, driving under the influence and theft, among other charges. The memo claims that he was concerned he would be arrested at the airport as a result of an existing child support warrant.

His attorney, Jonathan McDaniel, said in court that the device "is a firework" and that there is "no system on this object to cause the fuse to be lit".

According to officials, the device was spotted during a routine screening on 27 February after Mr Muffley checked in for a flight to Orlando from Lehigh Valley International Airport, located about 65 miles (105km) north of Philadelphia.

One of the FBI specialists called to the scene later described the three inch device as having been concealed in the lining of Mr Muffley's rolling suitcase.

FBI court documents show the device included multiple fuses and powder partly composed of the "dark granulars that are used in commercial grade fireworks''. The bag also had a lighter, a pipe with "white powder residue" and a wireless drill.

The affidavit notes that the powder is easily ignitable and could have posed a danger to the aircraft and the passengers inside.

"What could have happened is beyond anybody's desire to think about," prosecutor Sherri Stephan said in court on Thursday. "He created such a dangerous situation by his actions that day."

He was taken into custody at his home in Lansford, Pennsylvania later the same evening.