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Oakland Airport Passenger Arrested After Watch Creates Bomb Scare

OAKLAND (CBS SF) -A Southern California man was arrested Thursday evening at Oakland International Airport after airport security found him wearing a watch that looked like a timing device for an explosive, according to an Alameda County sheriff's spokesman.

The man, identified as Rancho Palos Verdes resident Geoffrey McGann, as wearing a watch on his wrist that had a toggle switch and wires and fuses protruding from it that looked suspicious to Transportation Security Administration officers when he put it through a checkpoint at Terminal 2 around 7:45 p.m., Alameda County sheriff's Sgt. J.D. Nelson said.

A bomb squad was called to the checkpoint and determined there was no explosive device connected to the watch.

While no actual explosives were found, authorities said he was definitely carrying potentially dangerous materials and appeared to have made alterations to his boots.

"They also had what appeared to be a homemade cavity in there...and he was very evasive on what he was doing," said Nelson.

McGann was arrested and remained in custody at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin Friday, Nelson said.

The checkpoint was closed while authorities secured the area, according to TSA officials.

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