A man in China was arrested during the weekend when luggage scanners at Xiamen Airport detected an empty bombshell in his luggage, according to transportation news portal mydrivers.com.

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Luggage scan revealed the shell inside Mr Chen’s bag. Photo: mydrivers.com.

The man, identified as Mr Chen, was apprehended at the airport in Fujian. Chen told airport security officials he felt the shell posed no threat as it was empty inside.

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Chen called the empty bomb vessel “artwork.” Photo: mydrivers.com.

He said he bought the “artwork” for some RMB100 during the National Day holiday.

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Although the bomb was empty, Chen was arrested for violating airport security regulations. Photo: mydrivers.com.

However, officials ‘dropped the bombshell’ and told Chen he had violated airport security laws and regulations. He was then handed to the police.

Vivienne Zeng is a journalist from China with three years' experience covering Hong Kong and mainland affairs. She has an MA in journalism from the University of Hong Kong. Her work has been featured on outlets such as Al Jazeera+ and MSNBC.