A Washington state senator has been arrested and charged in Hong Kong with possession of an unregistered firearm, in line with his workplace.

Jeff Wilson, a Republican from the Washington metropolis of Longview, was arrested after touchdown on the Hong Kong International Airport on Saturday.

He was travelling together with his spouse for a five-week vacation in Southeast Asia, his web site mentioned.

Wilson appeared in courtroom Monday to face the cost of possession of arms with out a license and was granted bail, Hong Kong’s public broadcaster RTHK reported.

“It was an honest mistake, and I expect the situation to be resolved shortly,” Wilson mentioned in an announcement.

The assertion added that the gun was not registered within the monetary hub however is registered in Washington.

Wilson mentioned he was unaware of the unloaded weapon in his bag when he went by safety on the Portland, Oregon airport, and it was not observed by the luggage screeners.

When requested for remark, the Port of Portland referred the request to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), chargeable for passenger screening on the airport.

A TSA spokesperson mentioned the company “takes this situation very seriously and is currently investigating the circumstances”, NBC News reported.

The spokesperson mentioned officers on the Portland airport had detected 43 firearms at safety checkpoints up to now this yr.

Following Monday’s listening to on the Shatin Magistrates’ Courts, Wilson surrendered his journey paperwork and is about to look on the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts, The Standard newspaper reported.

Read extra US news:
Donald Trump compares himself to Nelson Mandela
Third former Trump lawyer pleads guilty to trying to overturning election loss in Georgia

Hong Kong’s Customs and Excise Department declined to remark because of the ongoing authorized proceedings.

Carrying an unlicensed firearm in Hong Kong can lead to a advantageous of as much as 100,000 Hong Kong {dollars} (£11,145) and a most sentence of 14 years, though the Magistrates’ Courts sometimes grant a most two-year sentence for such circumstances, as per the judiciary’s web site.

Wilson’s web site mentioned he found the weapon mid-flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong and promptly knowledgeable customs authorities upon touchdown.