Imagine settling into your plush first class seat, ready for takeoff, when suddenly, law enforcement boards the plane and escorts a fellow passenger off in handcuffs…with no alcohol or other nasty beahvior involved. That’s precisely what happened on a recent United Airlines flight departing from Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
First Class Faux Pas: When A Loaded Glock Earns You A One-Way Ticket Off the Plane
On April 15, 2025, 53-year-old Besnik Ismajlaj from St. Charles, Illinois, managed to pass through TSA security with a loaded Glock 9mm semiautomatic pistol in his carry-on. The incident occurred during a shift change at Terminal 1’s Security Checkpoint 2. Although a screener identified the firearm on the X-ray machine, Ismajlaj retrieved his bag and proceeded to his flight before the weapon could be confiscated .
Bodycam footage released by Chicago police captures the moment officers boarded the aircraft, approached Ismajlaj in first class, and questioned him. When asked if he knew why they were there, he calmly replied, “Yeah, it’s in my bag.” He claimed to have forgotten the gun was in his backpack. Upon inspection, officers found the loaded firearm in an easily accessible front pocket .
Ismajlaj, who holds an Illinois concealed carry permit, was charged with a misdemeanor for carrying a concealed firearm at the airport. Federal law prohibits passengers from bringing loaded firearms into secured areas of an airport or onto aircraft. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 9, 2025.
But you know who should also appaer in court? The TSA officers who let this by…
CONCLUSION
This incident highlights a significant lapse in airport security protocols and raises concerns about the effectiveness of TSA procedures during shift changes. Yes, the guy should be held accountable for bringing the gun onboard…igorance is not a defense. But it’s time told TSA officers accountable for such blatant lapses…it’s absolute incompetence.
(Hat Tip: View From The Wing)
At least he was calm and cooperative. Not sure why they had to go and release all the footage.
It’s probably the #1 reason given by folks, “I forgot I had it in my [purse, bag, backpack]”. It’s just wild and also how did it get “flagged” but still come out for passenger to pick up and continue on. Very suss.
It happens. I was given a K-BAR in Parris Island and took it home in my carry-on by mistake. TSA never questioned me.
I believe you have a legal background and, yes, while “ignorance is not a defense”, it is something that should be considered in conviction or sentencing. There’s a word for it: “intent”.
That said, in the case of concealed carry permits, I personally attended a CC class that specifically went over measures to ensure gun safety and handling, interstate reciprocity, and certainly not carrying one’s weapons into areas where they are specifically prohibited (such as private businesses putting up signage.).
This isn’t an “ignorance is a defense” argument. He clearly is aware of the law. That said, he likely made an honest mistake.
The same goes for the TSA officer: They realized the error and sought to correct it.
How do you know he forgot? What is the point of a gun in a backpack anyway? It’s not very handy if you need it out and about. Seems odd.
Intent is irrelevant here.
Why not hold management accountable if you want to punish someone? It’s management’s fault. They get paid higher salaries.
Anybody who has worked a job knows things are not perfect.
Yes, hold them accountable too.
He was calm did nothing to threathen officer;
gun was taken from him then why he needed to be handcuffed? Is that an American thing?
Yes, in American the police actually handcuff you when they arrest you (then read you your Miranda rights).
My understanding of this story was the guy reached into the tunnel at the end of the machine and grabbed his bag while the TSOs were waiting for the police. Did that story change?
Billy Bob- Besides being hearsay, I don’t know many times I’ve flown when someone is NOT reaching into the tunnel to retrieve his or her bag. It’s annoying and people are not supposed to but that is irrelevant as to a threat of a weapon.
Fonzi’s– I would concur that he was very calm, but how can they know? This is likely exactly why he was charged with a misdemeanor. I am not a lawyer like Matthew, but I think that there could be a range of charges brought here, and I’d be quite relieved if I did something that dumb and the misdemeanor was the charge I ended up with.
It’s certainly possible he did forget, then later had an “OH CRAP!” moment. People freeze. People do dumb things. The dumbest and most rotten here is, indeed, the TSA officers at ORD. I went through there in April and forgot I had my vitamins in my pocket, so I reached in as I went through the scanner and they were on it… “what do you have? What are you taking out?” That was T3, but if they are doing their jobs, they should notice and do something. They SAW the gun and did not go after it? If this is true, I say the man from St. Charles is going to have a better June than the officers that day.
“A TSA spokesperson said the policy in these instances is to keep the bag with the firearm inside the X-ray tunnel and contact Chicago police. Before police could arrive to take the pistol, the passenger reached inside the X-ray machine, took the bag, left the checkpoint and went into the terminal. Screenings were suspended at Terminals 1 and 2 while officers searched for Ismajlaj.”
I’m sure there is video of what happened. Unless the TSA spokesperson is lying, it sounds like the TSOs were doing what they were trained to do.
We connected through ORD after an international flight a couple of weeks ago and had to clear security in Terminal 1. Long line at pre-check and I chatted with an elderly lady and her husband who were desperately trying to make their flight to Denver. The woman got to the walk-through scanner and the TSA agent started yelling at her, loud questions about what she was concealing. Turns out the woman’s hair was “up,” (don’t know how else to put it) and held in place by a couple of pins. The TSA agent continued yelling at her — I do not exaggerate — about the pins and pulled her out of line for a full-body check. My turn. I have a new knee and rods/pins from spine surgery and always flunk. I explained that I understood the need to be checked with a wand but she started yelling at me to get out of line and pointed to another area where I was supposed to go. Couldn’t tell where I was supposed to go. A friendly TSA agent rescued me and I tased through without problems. The first agent was rude and on a major power trip. Why? I suspect it’s because she could and nobody could do a thing about it. Welcome to Chicago.