Three people suffered injuries when a gun accidentally went off after being discovered at an X-ray checkpoint at Atlanta's international airport on Saturday, Reuters reported.
Dozens of passengers went scurrying for cover and the busy Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was briefly closed, just days before the Thanksgiving holiday in the US. Some two hours later, officials gave an “all-clear” and flights resumed, the airport said on Twitter.
The episode highlights the highly politicised topic of gun prevalence in American society.
Authorities searched for the owner of the gun, who fled after his weapon fired. An arrest warrant was issued for the 42-year-old, named by police as Kenny Wells.
He was being sought on charges of carrying a concealed weapon at a commercial airport, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, discharging a firearm and reckless conduct, Atlanta Police Major Reginald Moorman said.
The gun discharge occurred when a screening checkpoint employee was conducting a bag search “due to a prohibited item identified by the X-ray,” the TSA said.
“He advised the passenger not to touch the property, and as he opened the compartment containing the prohibited item, the passenger lunged into the bag and grabbed a firearm, at which point it discharged,” the TSA said.
Immediate fear that an active shooter had opened fire panicked the crowd, which rushed out of the terminal on to the tarmac.
“More and more people started running — there was screaming,” said traveller Erika Zeidler, who sent photographs to CNN showing dozens of people scrambling on to the tarmac, some pulling suitcases.
Police said one person requested emergency medical help after experiencing a fall “in the atrium of the airport, which is not in the same area of the security check point, and two others complained of a shortness of breath".
Hartsfield-Jackson was the world's busiest airport in 2021, according to aviation analytics provider Official Airline Guide.
The Atlanta airport was expected to be particularly busy during the Thanksgiving travel period, with pre-pandemic-size crowds expected at security checkpoints from Friday, November 19 through Sunday, November 28, the Transportation Security Administration said.
A record number of firearms were seized at US airport checkpoints in just the first nine months of 2021, the agency said.
Nationwide, the agency's officers have stopped 4,495 airline passengers from carrying firearms on to their flights, surpassing the 4,432 firearms caught throughout 2019.
In Atlanta alone, there were 450 firearms detected at airport checkpoints in 2021.
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In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
