Rome’s airport came to a standstill on 1 October after staff blew up a suspicious bag whose contents turned out to be nothing more than a bunch of coconuts.
Italian police found a suspicious suitcase in the Fiumicino airport, cordoned off the area in the waiting lounge and blew it up to see what was inside but were surprised by the contents.
Freelance journalist Ned Donovan, who was inside the airport at the time, shared the experience on Twitter.
“The Italian police have just blown up someone’s bag in Rome Airport and are now going through someone’s pants,” he wrote sharing a photo of the scene from a distance.
He then went a little closer to get a closer look at how the authorities took care of what some described as ‘the weapons of mass desiccation’.
Here is a photo just moments after the suspect coconuts were blown up pic.twitter.com/DX8FbVXk6Z
— Ned Donovan (@Ned_Donovan) October 1, 2018
“Amazing, the Italian police have blown up a bag full of coconuts and have now reopened Rome airport. Here are the exploded coconuts,” he said in a tweet with another photo of the suitcase’s contents.
“Amazing, the Italian police have blown up a bag full of coconuts and have now reopened Rome airport.”
Donovan noted, “There’s so much about this incident that I enjoyed and also felt so Italian. They blew up what they thought was a bomb in the middle of the airport while people were about 10 metres away, and then when it was destroyed the police just wandered off and left it to be cleaned up.”
There’s so much about this incident that I enjoyed and also felt so Italian. They blew up what they thought was a bomb in the middle of the airport while people were about 10 metres away, and then when it was destroyed the police just wandered off and left it to be cleaned up
— Ned Donovan (@Ned_Donovan) October 1, 2018
The incident occurred in terminal 3 at around 1pm (BST), according to Donovan who said that the whole thing took at least 15 minutes and essentially shut down the terminal:
“They stopped anyone going airside while dealing with it and no one was allowed to come into the terminal.But the people inside were just left to wander around.”
One picture posted by Donovan shows a large group of passengers waiting behind a cordon, while another shows a close up of the exploded tropical fruit.
Many on social media also found it hilarious and couldn’t stop poking fun at the cops and started the slew of puns after Donovan’s initial posts.
“Is that a weapon of mass desiccation?” tweeted Will Dean, while Ivica Milarić wrote: “You could say that this suitcase was holding quite a Bounty.”
Some speculated who would have filled a suitcase with coconuts – Mani Pillai replied: “Oh gawd. This bag/luggage must belong to an Indian. Only we carry coconuts and frying pans when we travel.”
Fiumicino airport is Italy’s biggest and the 10th busiest airport in Europe by passenger numbers. More than 40 million people passed through it in 2017.
This was what’s called a “nut case” https://t.co/s8lijp5LyH
— SHEEP-STORM! (@Sheep_Storm) October 2, 2018
In the criminal justice system, coconut based offenses are considered especially heinous.
In Rome, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious coconuts are members of an elite squad known as the Exlploding Coconut Unit. These are their stories .
*gonk, gonk!* https://t.co/R6clJK2vbx— JOPLMBO (@joplmbo) October 1, 2018
Is that a weapon of mass desiccation?
— Will Dean (@WillyDean) October 1, 2018
Love this story so much. Plus, coconuts can really go, um, nuts in the heat/explosion stakes. I know this because I’ve genuinely done a story about the problems caused by coconuts in coffins at crematoria.
— Beccy Barr (@BeccyBarr1) October 1, 2018
Why would people put coconuts in a coffin ? 😂😂😉
— Alfie Henshall (@HenshallAlfie) October 1, 2018
“Please do not leave your coconuts unattended in the airport.”
— Amanda Haugland (@Ovis_Obscura) October 1, 2018
“What if it’s really a bomb?”
“Hmm. Good point. How big are bombs? About 30 feet? Tell that crowd to back up about 30 feet.”
— just Another Dead Weirdo (@dead_weirdo) October 1, 2018
Oh gawd. This bag/luggage must belong to an Indian. Only we carry coconuts and frying pans when we travel.
— Mani Pillai (@ManiPillai1886) October 1, 2018
