Israel's Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv was briefly evacuated on Thursday (April 28) after an American family showed up with an unexploded mortar shell. The family found the shell in the Golan Heights and decided to take it home as a keepsake from their visit.
The family declared the lethal ordinance to airport security, prompting officials to order an evacuation. Another passenger misheard security personnel and started shouting "terrorists shooting," sparking chaos as people ran for their lives.
Videos on social media showed people hiding behind pillars while others cowered on the ground in fear. The Israel Airport Authority said that one person had to be hospitalized because they were injured when they jumped onto the luggage carousel.
"I was at the airport waiting for an hour in line until I got to the check-in counter, and suddenly at a radius of five meters (16ft), people started running away and left luggage," the injured man said, according to the BBC.
"The fear was that someone is spraying bullets. I understood that I, too, have to escape, so I ran towards the check-in. I stumbled on a conveyor belt... and flew a distance of six meters."
The family was questioned by airport security, and officials determined there was not a threat. They lifted the evacuation order, and the family was allowed to board their flight back home to the United States. Officials said they are continuing to investigate the incident.