Backpack bomb scare at Philly Int'l

Note to randy travelers: do not — we repeat, do not — leave your backpack near the entrance of a major airport terminal.

Especially if the bag has your laptop.

And, ahem, your pornography.

One likely despondent traveler learned this lesson the hard way at Philadelphia International Airport tonight, when the discovery of an abandoned bag prompted police to close down a major roadway for more than half an hour.

The trouble started about 7:30 p.m., when a Philadelphia police officer spotted a backpack on a curb near the entrance of Terminal A-West on Arrivals Road, said Homeland Security Chief Inspector Joseph Sullivan.

A bomb-sniffing dog checked out the bag and stopped when he picked up on a possibly troublesome scent, Sullivan said.

Arrivals Road was shut down, as were portions of the terminal, while bomb technicians were called to the scene.

Ultimately, Sullivan said, the bag was determined not to be a threat. “There was a laptop with a pretty large battery in there,” he noted, “and porn. A lot of porn.”

No flight delays were reported and it took investigators about half an hour to respond to and clear the possible threat.

“We pride ourselves in doing it fast,” Sullivan added.