This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A passenger traveling with an inactive grenade in his carry-on luggage caused the temporary closure of an airport security screening area on Saturday.

Transportation Security Administration personnel found the grenade as the passenger's bag passed through the Terminal 1 checkpoint about 11:15 a.m., Salt Lake City International Airport spokeswoman Barbara Gann said.

Security officers rerouted passengers to checkpoints in two other terminals and established a 100 foot perimeter while the luggage was inspected.

The grenade turned out to be a souvenir, Gann said.

It's owner was temporarily detained for questioning, she said.

The Terminal 1 security checkpoint was closed for about 40 minutes.

The weekend before Christmas is traditionally one of the busiest air travel days of the year.

­Tribune reporter Jennifer Dobner contributed to this story.

mmcfall@sltrib.comTwitter: @mikeypanda