Airport police and fire Chief Jesse Davis tells the Anchorage Daily News that Transportation Security Administration agents found the small explosive in the luggage of a man headed for a North Slope flight for oil company workers on Sunday afternoon.
Police downplayed the incident, saying the public was never in danger.
The man, whose name has not been released, claimed it was an "avalanche device."
"I don't know of any avalanche dangers up on the North Slope," Davis said.
The FBI was interviewing the man, whose name has not been released.
Airport operations officer Sharon Long says agents cleared a 300-foot radius around the security checkpoint when they found the explosive.
Davis says a bomb squad took it away.
"It appeared based on their knowledge that it wasn't an immediate danger to the traveling public," Davis said.
Long said security was closed for about an hour and some flights were delayed. There was no airport-wide announcement about what was going on.
Take ABC13 with you!
Download our free apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices
