A Barcelona man has been charged with a misdemeanor in San Mateo County Superior Court for having toy grenades in his carry-on luggage while going through security at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday, prosecutors said.
When airport security saw the grenades in his bag, they shut down Terminal 2 for about two hours while the San Francisco police bomb squad verified they were plastic toys.
Carrying toy grenades in an airport is specifically prohibited by the California penal code, according to prosecutors.
Spanish national Pedro Maillo-Briz, 38, has been charged with a misdemeanor for the incident, prosecutors said. He pleaded not guilty to the charge on Monday and remains in custody on $10,000 bail.
Maillo-Briz had been vacationing with friends from Spain, driving through California, Utah, Arizona and Nevada. He purchased the six plastic hand grenades in Las Vegas as a gift for his 16- and 17-year-old nephews, who enjoy playing paintball, according to prosecutors.
After he was dropped off at the airport at about 11:15 a.m. Sunday to catch a flight to Los Angeles, where he had a connecting flight to Barcelona, Maillo-Briz was stopped by Transportation Security Administration officers during his security screening.
Maillo-Briz was apologetic for causing the delay, but was arrested and held in custody in San Mateo County, prosecutors noted.
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He did not waive his right to a speedy trial. The case is scheduled to go to trial on Sept. 14, according to prosecutors.
