An 82-year-old Swiss man has been arrested at Phuket international airport after a handgun was found hidden in his luggage.
An X-ray screener at the airport noticed a suspicious object during a scan prior to an outbound flight on Monday night. She reported it to her superior and sent the bag for a thorough search.
The search found a handgun inside the bag.
The bag belonged to Kurt Fritz Loliger, 82. He was arrested.
The Swiss man reportedly told police that he thought bringing a gun with no ammunition or magazine onboard a flight was not prohibited. He had decided to bring it to his home country because he thought it was not against the law, police said.
Police have charged him with illegal possession of a firearm.
