Cupcake sparks airport terror threat

A woman fell foul of anti-terrorism regulations after trying to board an airplane with a cupcake, it has been reported.

Rebecca Hains was stopped at a Las Vegas airport’s security checkpoint after a Transport Security Administration (TSA) agent discovered the baked item.

Bizarrely, she was told that the gel-like icing on her red velvet cupcake was enough to constitute a security risk on the flight bound for Boston, Massachusetts, last Wednesday – and it was confiscated.

Days before, Mrs Hains had been cleared by security at Boston’s Logan International Airport with two cupcakes in her possession.

Responding to the alert, Mrs Hains said: “We went out with two cupcakes in a jar, the TSA in Boston said 'these look delicious', but TSA in Las Vegas thought they looked dangerous.

[Related story: Father's photo of daughter in shopping centre sparks security dispute]

“It's not really about the cupcake; I can get another cupcake. It's about an encroachment on civil liberties. We're just building up a resistance and tolerance to all these things they're doing in the name of security, when it's really theatre. It is not keeping us safe.”

According to a TSA spokesman, the agency is reviewing the situation and said that passengers are allowed to take cakes and pies in their carry-on luggage.

The TSA does restrict what liquids and gels can be brought onto flights in order to prevent them from them being used as explosives.

It's not the first time cupcakes have played a role in the so-called War on Terror. In June, MI6 hacked an online al-Qaeda training manual and replaced recipes for bomb-making devices with those for cupcakes.