BOSTON (AP) – Authorities say a Rhode Island man twice got pistols and shotguns onto a plane from Logan International Airport to the Middle East.

Munir Alani of North Providence told authorities he transported weapons twice in three years. Officials said he wasn’t caught because his luggage was only screened for explosives.

But, according to court documents, customs agents checked Alani’s luggage for a September flight to Lebanon and found 11 disassembled firearms. Authorities say Alani said he planned to sell the weapons to friends.

Guns and ammunition must be declared if carried in checked baggage. Alani’s lawyer, Page Kelley, told The Boston Globe her client didn’t know he had to declare the weapons and has no ties to terrorists.

Alani has been charged with unlawful delivery of firearms to an airline and making false statements.


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