2 weeks Ago By Mia Ping-Chieh Chen
A 53-year-old man from St. Charles, Illinois, was arrested on Tuesday, April 15, after allegedly bypassing security with a firearm at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, the Chicago Police Department said. TSA officers had detected the gun inside his carry-on bag during routine screening at Terminal 1 around 12:20 local time, but the man retrieved his bag and walked off before police could arrive.
The armed person was later located and arrested by Chicago Police Department officers near the gate area. The incident triggered a temporary shutdown of TSA operations at both Terminals 1 and 2, according to the TSA. The breach disrupted screening operations and raised urgent questions about security procedures at one of the nation’s busiest airports.
Security Breach at O'Hare: What Happened A TSA spokesperson told Simple Flying in an email statement that the firearm was discovered during standard X-ray screening at Security Checkpoint 2 in Terminal 1. TSA officers followed protocol, leaving the bag in the X-ray machine while contacting Chicago police. However, the passenger reached into the machine, removed the bag, and proceeded into the terminal before officers arrived.
This prompted an immediate lockdown of security operations in Terminals 1 and 2 as authorities searched for the individual. The suspect, Besnik Ismajlaj, was arrested near the gate area just before 13:00 and charged with one misdemeanor count of carrying a concealed firearm in an airport, a Chicago Police Department spokesperson told Simple Flying. Ismajlaj holds both a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card and a concealed carry license, according to CBS News .
The firearm was recovered at the scene, and no injuries were reported. TSA and law enforcement partners tracked the passenger's movements to a United Airlines flight, and passengers were temporarily deplaned as a precaution while authorities conducted a full security sweep. The TSA spokesperson told Simple Flying that screening operations at O'Hale Airport resumed at approximately 13:00.
Airport Firearm Trends in Illinois While no injuries were reported and the firearm was recovered on-site, the incident spotlighted a growing trend of gun-related security incidents at airports in the United States. At O'Hare Airport, TSA screened nearly 30.4 million passengers and crew last year, identifying 78 firearms, a detection rate of 2.
6 per million travelers, the agency said . These figures place O'Hare below the national average of 7.4 firearms per million passengers, but the implications remain serious.
Midway International Airport saw a drop in firearm detections, from a record 50 in 2023 to 41 in 2024. TSA agents there screened 7.7 million travelers, detecting firearms at a rate of 5.
3 per million. It was still below the national average, but higher than O'Hare’s rate. Firearms caught by TSA at Illinois airports' checkpoints from 2020 to 2024: 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 O'Hare International Airport (ORD) 78 72 85 91 33 Midway International Airport (MDW) 41 50 38 42 22 Quad Cities International Airport (MLI) 3 4 6 MidAmerica/St.
Louis Airport (BLV) 1 4 3 3 2 Central Illinois Regional Airport (BMI) 1 2 3 University of Illinois – Willard Airport (CMI) 1 3 General Wayne A Downing International Airport (PIA) 4 1 4 4 1 Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) 1 3 3 1 National totals 6,678 6,737 6,542 5,972 3,257 'Prepare, Pack, Declare' In 2024, TSA launched its "Prepare, Pack, Declare" public awareness campaign to remind travelers how to legally and safely transport firearms. Despite these efforts, some airports continue to see a steady stream of violations. Officials said that improperly packed firearms represent serious risks, not just legal consequences, but also delays and safety threats to fellow passengers.
Nationwide, TSA intercepted 6,678 firearms at airport checkpoints in 2024 , which is about 18 firearms per day, with approximately 94% of them loaded, the agency said in January. While this figure is slightly lower than the 2023 record of 6,737, the agency continues to stress the importance of compliance. This breach came amid ongoing efforts by TSA to curb the number of firearms discovered at checkpoints across the country.
Given that hundreds of weapons are captured each year, the agency is still putting a strong emphasis on educating the public about safe firearm travel procedures..
