Body Bags And Gas Mask Found In Man's Luggage

A man has been arrested at a US airport after a smoke grenade, gas mask and body bags were discovered in his luggage.

Boston-bound Yongda Huang Harris, 28, was arrested at Los Angeles Airport on suspicion of transporting hazardous materials on a flight from Japan.

Harris, a US citizen who works in the Far East, faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

US Customs and Border Protection officers became suspicious when they noticed he was wearing a bulletproof vest and flame-retardant trousers under his trenchcoat.

They called in Homeland Security special agents who carried out a search of his luggage.

They found numerous suspicious items including knives, body bags, a hatchet, a collapsible baton, a biohazard suit, a full-face respirator, billy clubs, handcuffs, leg irons and a device to repel dogs.

The smoke grenade was later X-rayed by the Los Angeles Police Department's bomb squad.

"Depending on the conditions when it is ignited, the smoke grenade, made by Commando Manufacturers, could potentially fill the cabin of a commercial airplane with smoke or cause a fire," federal officials said in a press release.

Authorities have not said why Harris might have been carrying the items.