The TSA failed to spot two AK-47 assault rifle magazines stowed in the luggage of a suspicious Yemeni national who was preparing to fly back to his homeland from JFK Airport on a one-way ticket, sources said.
Bassam Alkhanshli, 32, was busted as he and a traveling companion, Methaq Mohammed Ali, 28, were ready to board Emirates Airline Flight 202 to Yemen at about 11 p.m., Sunday, according to sources.
Alkhanshli and his pal were stopped by TSA because they had purchased one-way tickets to Yemen — long considered a red flag by counterterrorism officials.
Screeners for the Transportation Security Administration then found that the two men were carrying above the $10,000 maximum in US currency. Alkhanshli had $12,000 and Ali had $14,000, sources said.
Both were then questioned by US Customs and Border Protection personnel, causing them to miss their flight, sources said.
The men were able to explain why they had the money, and the feds cleared them to catch another flight, sources said.
But before they took off, customs officials re-examined 10 pieces of their luggage — pieces that had already been screened and cleared by the TSA.
This time, Customs Officer Richard Sanicola found "two 30-round AK-47 magazine clips" in one of Alkhanshli's bags.
"I did not know I was not supposed to have this," Alkhanshli told officials, according to sources.
The clips were described by Sanicola as "high-capacity ammunition-feeding devices," according to a criminal complaint.
A TSA spokeswoman did not return a call for comment about its airport screeners' oversight.
Alkhanshli was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on a charge of criminal possession of a weapon.
Assistant DA Robin Kwalbrun asked for $50,000 bail.
But Alkhanshli's Legal Aid attorney, Tasha Lloyd noted that another person had been released on his own recognizance on an airport weapons offense over the weekend.
She added her client — a Tennessee resident who has a pistol permit there — has been a naturalized US citizen since 2009. She also noted that the clips contained no bullets.
"These were empty clips, your honor," Lloyd replied.
Judge Donna Golia set bail at $5,000 bond or $2,500 cash.
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