A TOP Army officer was arrested after taking a hand grenade through airport security.
Bungling Lt Col Hugo Clark MBE had the dummy weapon in his hand luggage as he went through Edinburgh Airport.
Bomb squad officers raced to the scene and eventually found it had been deactivated.
Lt Col Clark, 54, of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and serving head of public relations, was due to fly home on leave.
He was arrested and charged and is due to appear in court.
A source said: “All the grenade’s explosives had been removed so it could safely be used in training. But to the untrained eye it looked exactly the same as a real grenade.
“Imagine if a terrorist had taken it out in mid-air and waved it around in front of passengers, it could have caused absolute mayhem.”
The Army confirmed a serving soldier was involved in a security incident in October but made no further comment.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 8.05am on Wednesday, 16 October 2024, police were called by security at Edinburgh Airport after a decommissioned ordnance device was found during scanning of a passenger’s hand luggage.
“Explosive Ordnance Disposal attended and the item was assessed as non-viable and posed no threat.
“A 54-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection and released on an undertaking to appear in court at a later date.”
