HONG KONG – A Washington state senator was arrested at a Hong Kong airport and charged with possession of an unregistered firearm, his workplace stated.
Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, was arrested at Hong Kong Worldwide Airport on Friday evening after he discovered a gun in his carry-on bag and reported it to customs officers.
He was launched on bail on Sunday and can face a listening to on October 30.
“It was an trustworthy mistake, and I count on the state of affairs to be resolved quickly,” he stated in a press release.
Wilson stated he didn’t understand the unloaded weapon was in his bag when he handed via safety on the Portland, Oregon, airport, the place he was not noticed by baggage screeners.
A spokesman for the Port of Portland, which runs Portland Worldwide Airport, referred a request for remark to the Transportation Safety Administration, which manages all passenger screening on the airport.
The Transportation Safety Administration stated in an e mail that it was accumulating info.
Wilson stated within the assertion that he found the weapon throughout his flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong when he reached into his bag for a chunk of gum. He added that he instantly knowledgeable the customs authorities upon touchdown in Chinese language territory, including that information studies that the weapon was found throughout baggage inspection are incorrect.
The Hong Kong Airport Authority didn’t instantly reply to an e mail request for remark. Hong Kong Customs and Excise declined to remark whereas authorized proceedings have been ongoing.
Wilson stated that though his gun isn’t registered in Hong Kong, it’s correctly registered in Washington state, the place he holds a hid handgun license.
Wilson and his spouse have been embarking on a five-week journey to Southeast Asia, which he stated was private and can be accomplished at his personal expense. Different locations they plan to go to embody Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia.
Wilson, who’s Longview Port Commissioner, plans to fulfill along with his counterparts on the Port of Shanghai, one of many largest ports on the earth.
Wilson stated he hopes to renew his journey plans as soon as the matter in Hong Kong is resolved.
