Baytzim

Apparently, in addition to stealing from the passengers (we had a $1500 watch stolen, major crime rings in LAX have been uncovered), for a few bucks they'll help you smuggle a gun on board, too!

(CBS)  A US Airways employee and passenger are being questioned after an unloaded handgun was discovered aboard a Phoenix-bound flight originating in Philadelphia, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Orr .

Souces say a passenger allegedly handed a bag containing the weapon to an airline employee, who bypassed the security screening before giving it back to the passenger, reports Orr .

Ammunition was also found on the plane.

Another passenger saw the suspicious hand-off and alerted authorities. The gun was found during a subsequent search of the plane. The flight taxied back to the gate and all the passengers were removed, reports Orr .

Sources says the incident appears to be isolated and is not related to terrorism. Investigators do not believe the suspected passenger intended to use the gun on the flight but was simply trying to elude security in order to carry the weapon to Phoenix, reports Orr .

The FBI, Transportation Security Administration and Philadelphia law enforcement are investigating the incident. No charges have been filed.

There's been an update to this story:

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A US Airways employee let a passenger he knew avoid security at the Philadelphia airport Thursday and accepted a bag containing a gun, which was later found on a flight destined for Phoenix, a law enforcement official said.

The employee and passenger were in FBI custody after the plane was called back to the gate at Philadelphia International, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because details hadn't been announced.

The employee was not a member of the flight crew but worked in the airport, the official said.

"This didn't really have anything to do with the plane," the official told The Associated Press. "This was a guy that wanted to get a gun from one place to another ... and had this relationship with someone who worked at the airport."

The detained passenger apparently knew the employee and handed off the bag to him to bypass security, the official said.

Another traveler saw the exchange and contacted authorities, Philadelphia police said. The plane had taxied by the time it was called back to the gate and searched. The unloaded 9 mm handgun was found in an overhead compartment.

There was no evidence the person planned to use the gun on board or harbored any terrorist intentions, the law enforcement official said.

The Transportation Security Administration declined to comment because of the FBI investigation, spokeswoman Ann Davis said.

US Airways Flight 1195 departed Philadelphia several hours later, the airline said. In a statement, the Tempe, Ariz.-based airline said only that additional passenger screening took place "after a concern was raised about a carry-on bag."

"We are cooperating with investigators fully and take security considerations very seriously," said the statement issued by spokesman Morgan Durrant.

One thing that bothers me is, when there's a problem with baggage handlers stealing things out of luggage (and there has been at least a dozen separate incidents), it's not taken seriously, even though if they can smuggle out cameras, watches, cash, they can just as easily smuggle in bombs. All it takes is one Muslim baggage handler and a bribe and you can bring down a plane.