A Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) personnel was on Wednesday arrested in Texas, US for attempting to smuggle a gun while en route to Malaysia.
 
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents found Major Mohd Faiz Abdul Jalil was attempting to smuggle a disassembled Taurus PT-22 hidden in several parts of his luggage, reports Texas-based news portal BigCountryHomepage.com.
 
BigCountryHomepage.com is the joint website of Texas-based TV channels KTAB TV and KRBC TV.
 
Mohd Faiz was scheduled to fly from Mathis Field Airport, San Angelo, Texas to Kuala Lumpur via Dallas.
 
"While a TSA agent was checking a bag and a box belonging to Mohd Faiz at the airport in San Angelo, the X-ray machine alerted the agent that something within the suitcase and the box was keeping the X-ray from seeing everything inside," the report said.
 
The report said upon opening the box, the TSA agent found a round ice cooler similar to those found in hotel. Within the ice cooler was a plastic hand weight and within the hand weight concealed the receiver portion of a Taurus PT-22, a .22 calibre pistol.
 
As for the suitcase, the report said authorities found a corkscrew and a can opener taped together and between them was the pistol's barrel.
 
"The remaining part of the pistol, the metal slide, was located within the wristband of a metal wrist watch housed inside a metal box contained in the suitcase," said the report.
 
The report said San Angelo police officers and TSA agents escorted Mohd Faiz off the plane after they discovered the objects in his luggage.
 
'Up to 10 years in prison'
 
Mohd Faiz reportedly told US authorities that he had hidden the weapon so that Malaysian authorities will not find it when he arrived in Kuala Lumpur.
 
He was subsequently interviewed by Homeland Security agents and it was found he had bought the gun at a gun show in Sweetwater, Texas.
 
"He told authorities two other vendors refused to sell him a gun since he was not a US citizen, but a third vendor did agree to sell him the weapon for US200, and Mohd Faiz said the vendor did not ask him to fill out any paper work," said the report.
 
He was in the US on an A2 non-immigrant diplomatic visa for military training at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo since January 5 and had been living in a dorm at the base.
 
"Mohd Faiz said he knew he was not supposed to have the gun and concealed it in a bag where he took it back to the base and kept it until he was supposed to fly out.
 
"Mohd Faiz said he took the magazine from a foreign student liaison who took them to a shooting range," added the report.
 
If convicted, Mohd Faiz faces up to 10 years in a US prison. He was on April 18 transferred to Lubbock, Texas held in federal custody for prosecution. 

According to a statement by RMAF this evening, Mohd Faiz is expected to be tried tomorrow.

"The RMAF is closely following developments on the case to determine the next course of action," the statement added.