TSA Admits Procedures 'Not Adhered to' in Miami Airport Bag Scare Sparked By Dental Equipment

— -- The Transportation Security Administration says that "standard procedures were not adhered to" during when dental equipment set off a bag scare at Miami International Airport Monday, closing two security checkpoints and delaying 50 flights before it was determined the items weren't a threat.

The FBI in Miami said a passenger -- a dentist -- went through security just before 5 p.m. and "it was later determined that items in his carry-on bag looked suspicious."

A transportation security officer had stopped the X-ray machine at a checkpoint to conduct further screening of the carry-on bag, but "in the process of transitioning other passengers to an adjacent screening lane, standard procedures were not adhered to and the passenger was allowed to depart the checkpoint and proceed into the terminal," said TSA spokesman Mike England.

Transportation security officers and law enforcement officers "promptly discovered the oversight," England said, "and out of an abundance of caution, worked with airport operators to direct gate operations to cease while the passenger was located."

The passenger boarded an American Airlines flight bound for Barbados. Video from the flight shows armed officers ordering passengers to leave the plane with their hands on their head. The flight was evacuated just before takeoff.

Once the passenger and carry-on luggage were found, England said, "a manual inspection was conducted and law enforcement officers determined conclusively that neither the passenger nor his carryon bag posed a threat."

"At no point were hazardous materials introduced into the sterile area of the terminal," England added. The FBI said "the items in question were deemed safe-non-hazardous" and there was no safety issue or threat related to the incident. The FBI also said the “passenger was cooperative and faces no charges."

The TSA is conducting a full after-action review of the response, England said, adding that the TSA will "retrain employees as necessary to ensure compliance with standard operating procedures."

American Airlines said in a statement that one of its passengers was taken into custody and that the airline was "working closely with law enforcement while ensuring the care of our customers the best we can.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.