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Cops: Dynamite Joke By Guatemalan Tourist Forced MIA Terminal Evacuation

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A Guatemalan doctor's bad joke caused hours of delays for passengers at Miami International Airport Monday afternoon.

Miami-Dade Police say Terminal J was shut down for more than an hour after Dr. Alejandro Hurtado, 63, replied that he had dynamite when a TACA airlines ticket agent asked if he had any hazardous materials in his luggage.

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Alejandro Hurtado, 63, was arrested after joking that he had dynamite in his luggage at Miami International Airport. (Source: Miami-Dade Corrections)

As the ticket agent called police, Hurtado reportedly told the agent that he was joking.

When police arrived, Hurtado was arrested and charged with falsely reporting a bomb threat at an airport.

Hurtado's luggage was searched by the bomb squad and was deemed safe.

Everything was resolved at 2:00 p.m. and the airport returned to normal operations.

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