The Hamilton County Courthouse in Cincinnati, Ohio was shut down yesterday when an object suspected to be a World War II "pineapple" grenade was found in a suitcase. Turns out, it was a bottle of perfume belonging to a homeless woman who was carrying all her belongings in the bag.
The woman, a Muslim who wears a hijab, claims she was discriminated against. From WCPO:
Officials said security flagged the woman, Felicia Brock, after her suitcase went through an X-ray machine and bomb-sniffing dogs later 'alerted' when sniffing the case. The alerts indicated that explosive material could be inside the case…
A bomb squad was called in to investigate at around 8:30 a.m. with K-9 units searched the building as well. A second bomb squad was called in by about 9:15 a.m.
The K-9 unit picked up a scent on the bag, which alerted police at the time. In hindsight, Neil said this could have been due to fertilizer or any chemical that could have touched the bag…
"I was like 'There's nothing in there,'" (Brock) said. "'There's just perfume and my belongings,' and they basically discriminated against me. I didn't do nothing. I just came here for court."
"Sheriff: Perfume bottle shaped like a grenade caused bomb scare, closed courthouse" (WCPO, thanks Charles Pescovitz!)
